


Worth the Fight

by zennie



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Freeform, Light Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Protective Alex Danvers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-20
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-01 04:20:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8607487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zennie/pseuds/zennie
Summary: After the kiss, Alex and Maggie struggle to get back to friendship and maybe more.
Also, Maggie is targeted by assassins and Alex is protective.





	1. Tip Me Over

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from the song "Worth the Fight." 
> 
> Thanks for the beta and feedback, Inspector Boxer.

_Something tipped me over, someone knocked me down_  
_Emptied out my inside, poured it on the ground_

Maggie stalked down the hallway in the direction the agent had indicated Alex and Supergirl had gone. Those two were always together, especially since that night at the bar, and their dual glares toward the detective at every crime scene were starting to get old. So to add insult to injury, the captain had insisted she go ask her ‘alien spooks’ to analyze a weird substance from the crime scene, so she not only had to deal with those glares, but she also had to ask for a favor.  
  
And what were Alex and Supergirl up to down this deserted hallway anyway? She smothered the nascent jealousy before it could gain any traction in her gut as she stepped into a small darkened observation room to see the two women she was seeking going at it like gladiators in an arena, only their arena was a weird gym ringed with odd green lights.  
  
The greeting died on Maggie’s lips as she watched, transfixed, by Alex squaring off, fearlessly, with Supergirl. There was even a small grin on her lips as the Supergirl closed, swinging a fist that could pulverize concrete, and Alex dodged it smoothly, delivering a bare-fisted uppercut to the Girl of Steel’s stomach and then an elbow to the side of her head that staggered the superhero. Supergirl responded with a sweeping roundhouse that caught Alex squarely on the jaw, but Alex rolled with the blow and came back swinging, her kick to the head and knee to the solar plexus putting Supergirl in just the right position for Alex to flip her over her hip and send her to the floor with a crash Maggie could feel through the soles of her boots.  
  
“Again.” Supergirl rose, shaking her head, and then rushed Alex, who slid to the side at the last minute, catching a wrist and sending the superhero into the wall. “You know better than that,” she scolded as Supergirl peeled herself off the wall. “Now focus.”  
  
“We’ve been sparring for an hour.” A slight whine edged into Supergirl’s voice.  
  
“Again.”  
  
“Damn it, Alex.” But Supergirl didn’t get any time to continue complaining as Alex laid into her, her spinning kick to the head just barely missing as the superhero ducked and went low, her punch to the gut doubling Alex over for a second before Alex swung an elbow up to catch the Girl of Steel on the jaw and snapping her head back. Alex stepped back, her fists up, as Supergirl tried her own showy spinning kick. Alex rushed in and slid under the swinging leg, her momentum taking her halfway across the mat. At the last second, her hand reached out and snatched the edge of the superhero’s cape, yanking Supergirl down, the sound of her body hitting the floor making Maggie wince.  
  
Alex was already squaring up again when Supergirl got to her feet. “Enough.” She walked over to a panel and touched a control, the green lights dimming while regular lights came up. “Unless you want to try now?” There was a smirk on her face that Maggie didn’t understand as Alex glared at the superhero.  
  
“We should keep training.”  
  
“We’re done. _Rao_ , Alex, you need to deal with this because beating me up every day for hours is not a healthy coping mechanism.” Alex’s dark eyes were stormy, but Supergirl did not back down. “You might not be able to hurt me physically, but that doesn’t mean this is fun for me.”  
  
Alex dropped her fists, and her head fell to her chest, eyes closed for a minute before she shook her head, her hair flipping back and forth. “Sorry, I just…”  
  
“Detective Sawyer?” Alex’s head snapped up and fixed on Supergirl, who was staring at the observation room with narrowed eyes. “What are you doing here?”  
  
Maggie stepped out into the gym, holding the sample out in front of her like it would protect her as both Supergirl and Alex glared at her. She had to remind herself that only one of them could actually incinerate her with a look, because of the two, the blazing anger in the brown eyes definitely appeared more scary. “My captain asked me to come and ask for an analysis.”  
  
“Why were you watching?” Alex asked, her voice impossibly cold.  
  
“When I got here and I saw you were sparring, I didn’t want to interrupt. And that was kind of amazing.” Honesty infused her voice, and Alex’s glare dialed back a couple of degrees and her shoulders relaxed a little.  
  
“Yeah, Alex is a badass.” There was pride in Supergirl’s voice along with another emotion that Maggie couldn’t quite read. Then a tight smile twisted her lips, and the hint of evil in her eyes scared Maggie more than a little. “She’s still in the mood to spar, in case you are interested in volunteering.”  
  
“I think she’d kill me,” Maggie retorted truthfully, and the superhero didn’t contradict her. If anything, her smile got a little wider.  
  
Alex shook her head at them both and stepped forward to take the sample from Maggie’s hand. “I’ll get this to the lab.” She was already out the door when Maggie realized she really didn’t want to be alone with Supergirl in whatever mood this was, so she hurried after Alex, following half a step behind until they got to the relative privacy of the lab. “I’ll let you know when the analysis is done, Detective.”  
  
The dismissal in Alex’s voice was clear, and Maggie started to leave only to stop at the door, closing it and leaning back with her arms crossed over her chest. Alex sighed and straightened, squaring up with Maggie like she had done with Supergirl in the ring. “Do I need to volunteer? Would slamming me into a wall a few times help? I mean, it sounds like Supergirl would prefer you take your anger out on the source.”  
  
“She shouldn’t have said that.” The anger seemed to be gone from Alex’s eyes, leaving only pain and resignation, and Maggie wished there was something she could say that would help, that could reassure Alex, but she knew she was the last person who could offer that comfort right now. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” Alex’s words mirrored Maggie’s, and Maggie recognized the attempt to let her off the hook.  
  
Alex let out a breath, and her eyes slid past Maggie to focus on a spot in the distance. “I am angry, but I’m angry at myself. I....” Her words petered out, and she didn’t continue, but she didn’t have to. Maggie knew this place, had been here too many times to count; in fact, she was just beginning to leave it herself. It started with taking a chance and ended with getting kicked in the teeth, and the fact that she was responsible for Alex’s heartbreak felt almost worse than her own.  
  
“I meant what I said. I’m here for you, as a friend.” Maggie almost choked on the words, knowing they didn’t even begin to express how she felt about this dark-haired beauty across from her, knowing that they were absolutely not what Alex wanted to hear. But at this moment, they were all she had.  
  
Alex’s head dropped and her hand clenched where it rested on the table. “And maybe someday, being your friend will be enough.” Her eyes, when they met Maggie’s, were full of anguish and bright with unshed tears. “Right now, it’s not. I’m sorry.”  
  
“Me too.” Maggie nodded slowly, sadness threatening to overwhelm as her sense of loss grew, both for their friendship and the possibility of more. “See you around, Danvers.” And then she was gone.


	2. Feeling blind

_I thought the shade around me, was making me feel blind_  
_I thought I was a hero, but I was just a child_  
  
A manila envelope landed on the desk right in front of her nose, on the case file Maggie was pretending to study, causing her to start and nearly spill the last dregs of her coffee. “What the fuck, you…” The reaming she was about to deliver to one of her inconsiderate co-workers came to a screeching halt as she caught sight of Alex’s smirk and amused brown eyes.  
  
“Did I startle you, Sawyer?”  
  
“You might say that,” Maggie huffed as she willed her heart to stop beating double-time. “What are you doing here, Danvers?”  
  
“Your results.”  
  
“Hand-delivered? To what do I owe the pleasure?” Maggie snagged the envelope and leaned back in her chair to better take the tall agent in. Her ubiquitous black leather was zipped to her neck, her hair was mussed from her motorcycle helmet, and she was wearing minimal makeup, but Alex still looked beautiful although the dark circles under her eyes marred the perfection. Maggie hadn’t expected to see Alex for weeks after the scene in the lab the day before, but here she was. One of her hands rested on the edge of Maggie’s desk, and a finger tapped the surface like she was counting the seconds before she could bolt, but she was at least here. That was something, right?  
  
“The results. We’ve run into one of these before.”  
  
Maggie scanned the information on the first page. “A Hellawhatizit?”  
  
Alex smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Hellgrammite. Insectoid alien. Shoots spikes and is able to camouflage itself as almost anything.”  
  
“What’s this about DDT?”  
  
“It’s food for the alien. We used it as a lure last time.”  
  
“So what? Are you going to pull the jurisdiction card?”  
  
Alex sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest and gazed around bullpen, the mess and confusion, the open cases and evidence tacked up to every available surface. It was a far cry from the DEO’s secret lair, Maggie knew, and she raised an eyebrow at Alex’s scowl. Seeing the detective’s eyes on her, Alex schooled her features. “No, the Hellgrammite has killed both civilians and aliens, so we’re proposing a joint op.”  
  
“That’s _got_ to be killing you, Danvers.” Maggie beamed up at the agent, now understanding her irritation. Joint op and having to work with her must be driving Alex crazy. Alex’s eyes softened for a brief moment as they focused on Maggie’s face before her jaw clenched and she looked away quickly.  
  
“Yeah, well...” Alex scoffed and shrugged a shoulder. “Are you in, Detective?”  
  
“Of course. I’ll let my captain know.”  
  
“Briefing at 11.” And then Alex was gone, her long legs propelling her through the bullpen so quickly she almost collided with another detective bringing a subject in.  
  
\---  
  
Definitely not the bullpen, Maggie thought as she stepped into the command center ringed with agents, the monitors flashing through maps, images, and data feeds so quickly it was hard to keep up. Alex faced the heads-up display, arms across her chest again, as she watched a video play at triple speed. “There.” A tech froze on an image of what looked like a man leaping off a truck, his face warped as mandibles distended his face, and Maggie frowned in distaste. Usually, she was not fazed by aliens in all their variety, but insectoid aliens turned her stomach, just a little bit.  
  
Alex had changed from the jeans and leather jacket she had worn into the all-black DEO uniform, her holstered weapon strapped to her thigh, and Maggie had to admit, Alex wore it well. A little too well, if Maggie’s elevated heart rate was any indication.  
  
She couldn’t deny her attraction to the agent even if she wanted to, but Maggie was nothing if not a realist. She had seen this dozens of times before, the initial crush after coming out on the person who made everything click and the inevitable heartbreak that followed for all involved when the crush didn’t live up the reality. What hurt the most was that Alex’s crush wasn’t even about Maggie, personally; she was like a baby duck, imprinting on the first animal it sees, following it around everywhere. Once the first blush faded, so would the giddiness and the crush, and Alex would realize that her options weren’t limited. After all, eventually the duckling stopped following anyone around. Maggie’s mouth quirked at how Alex would take the comparison but the image was in her head now and it was not going to go away anytime soon.  
  
“Were you going to tell me about the Hellgrammite?”  
  
The director, Henshaw, that was his name, Maggie recalled, half-turned his head as the Supergirl strode into the command center, her bright primary colors a vivid contrast to the dull colors everyone else was wearing, including Maggie herself. “Glad you could join us, Supergirl. And yes, we were about to call you.”  
  
“Because you didn’t last time.” Her tone was sharp, even angry, and Maggie stared at the superhero in surprise.  
  
Alex stepped up beside Supergirl, her voice low and quiet, in an obvious attempt to soothe. “That was a long time ago.”  
  
“Not long enough. I still remember how you ended up impaled, kidnapped, and used for bait.” Her tone carried through the room, and background noise seemed to quiet, hallway conversations pausing and the click of keys slowing. Supergirl paced around the touchscreen console in the middle of the room before stopping, her arms across her chest as she glared at Henshaw and Alex. “Did I miss anything?”  
  
Alex spun on her heel to face the superhero, fixing her with steely eyes. “Yes, two things. One, I took care of the Hellgrammite myself, and two, we blundered into a trap laid for you, and if you had been captured by Astra and Non at that point, before we knew they existed or about their plans, you would probably be dead right now and we’d all be drones for Myriad.”  
  
They stared at each other across the table, until Supergirl gave an exaggerated shrug of her shoulders, her head rolling on her neck, and grinned. “Well, when you put it like that…” Alex responded with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, and suddenly the noise around the room went back to regular levels. Maggie saw more than one agent grin down at their console and even a couple roll their eyes.  
  
A ghost of a smile even crossed Director Henshaw’s face before he asked, “Are you two done?”  
  
“Yes, Sir.” Supergirl’s cheeky rejoinder broke the last of the tension as she stepped up beside Alex. Leaning in, she bumped a shoulder with Alex’s, apparently too hard, and Alex shifted away with a pained expression and rubbed her shoulder while mouthing ‘ouch’ and mock-glaring at the superhero. But a second later, Alex returned the bump, and the wattage in Supergirl’s sunny smile went supernova.  
  
Maggie wasn’t sure what to make of their antics, except that they seemed to be routine and accepted as part of the normal functioning of the DEO. Someday, she would puzzle out the relationship between Alex and the superhero, but right now, she forced herself to concentrate as the briefing started in earnest.  
  
\---  
  
The night air was cold as it blew through the cracked windows, but Maggie was sure the wind had nothing on the chill coming from the woman who was sitting behind the wheel in the DEO-issued SUV. They were staking out the munitions depot where several barrels of DDT waited on the Hellgrammite behind a chain link fence. The silence was starting to get to Maggie since they had barely exchanged three words in the last two hours. Bored with watching barrels, Maggie instead turned her gaze to the woman beside her, her face unnaturally pale in the blue-tinted light from the moon. Her cheekbones seemed more prominent, her jawline sharper, and Maggie wondered if Alex was eating enough.  
  
As if aware of Maggie’s eyes on her, Alex glanced at her. “What?”  
  
“You look tired.” Maggie winced at the softness in her voice and at how Alex’s jaw clenched when she heard it.  
  
Alex looked away immediately, her eyes fixing back on the barrels of DDT. “I’m fine.”  
  
Wishing she had the standing to contradict, to pry, Maggie sighed instead. The area surrounding the warehouse was still, and Maggie could tell this was going to be a long night. Alex hadn’t looked happy when Henshaw paired them up, but she hadn’t objected either. Maybe it was her way of punishing Maggie, to be a constant reminder of the fact that she was hurting because of Maggie, and if so, it was working. Remembering the scene in the DEO earlier, Maggie decided that the topic was at least somewhat related to work. “So you were impaled by one of these things?”  
  
Alex rolled her eyes at the description. “Supergirl was being dramatic. I caught a stinger in the leg.”  
  
“And kidnapped?” Alex shrugged, like it wasn’t a big deal. “You said you took care of the Hellgrammite yourself.”  
  
“Supergirl had her hands full fighting a Kryptonian, and he caught me trying to call in a strike team.” Her tone was blase. “Tried to stab me with a stinger.”  
  
Maggie had seen full-size pictures of those stingers in the briefing as well as pictures of where they had punched through the chassis of SUVs, and she shuddered. “What did you do?”  
  
“Stabbed him first.” Before Maggie could ask another question, Alex’s hand suddenly came down to grip Maggie’s leg, and she followed Alex’s gaze to a distant shape jumping from rooftop to rooftop in the dim light. “This is Trap Leader,” she whispered quietly into the walkie. “Target spotted. Move on my signal.”  
  
They waited as the figure closed on the depot, slowing as the alien got closer. It paused on the eave directly above the DDT and looked directly at their SUV. “Shit,” Maggie uttered as it raised an arm and aimed in their direction.  
  
“Lights!” A second later, a powerful beam of light fixed on the figure, and Supergirl swooped through the sky toward the roof. Whether by luck or skill, the Hellgrammite shot in the direction of the light and a second later, the warehouse was plunged into darkness once again.  
  
Jumping down, the Hellgrammite landed in front of the fence, sending spikes into the air toward Supergirl before swinging back toward their SUV. “Down,” Alex said as she grabbed Maggie’s jacket and dragged her beneath the dash as several stingers punched through the windshield above their heads. “Stay down. The vehicle is reinforced with Kevlar, and it should withstand the stingers.”  
  
“It should?” Maggie couldn’t keep the skepticism from her voice, and she was rewarded with a tight, sarcastic grin from Alex.  
  
“You wanted in on the op.” That’s when Maggie noticed the weapon in Alex’s hand, a heavy tactical assault rifle, but before she could say anything, Alex whispered, “Stay here.” A second later, the agent had flung open the driver’s side door and rolled out, kicking the door shut behind her. The ground shook, and Maggie chanced a glance over the dash. Supergirl and the Hellgrammite were trading blows, and Alex closing in on their position. Other DEO agents were converging on the scene, and the Hellgrammite seemed to sense that the net was closing. It unleashed another rapid fire hail of stingers, hitting a couple of agents, before it targeted Alex.  
  
Heart in her throat, Maggie watched as Alex ducked and rolled under the volley, coming up behind the wall of a neighboring warehouse in relative safety. Maggie pulled her own weapon from her holster and reached for the door handle, ready to jump out and distract the alien if needed to keep him from targeting Alex again.  
  
The Hellgrammite threw one last punch at Supergirl, knocking her aside, and leaped, but not back the way it had come. Instead, it landed on the hood of the SUV where Maggie was crouched, the impact making the vehicle bottom out on the shocks and scrape concrete. Maggie heard Alex yell her name just as she saw the Hellgrammite’s mouth twist and distort. “Sawyer.” Her name came out of the mandibles in a hiss as the tip of a stinger appeared at the Hellgrammite’s wrist, pointed right at her head.  
  
A second later, a cold blast of air went past her as Supergirl caught the Hellgrammite from behind and flew him into a brick wall, the concussion from the crash making the SUV lurch once again. “I got him,” she announced as another vehicle came skidding up and more agents surrounded the alien.  
  
“Maggie?” Alex’s hand was on her shoulder, shaking it gently. “You okay?”  
  
“Yeah, yeah.” She waved the hand away and breathed out slowly, trying to find some semblance of calm in the middle of her churning thoughts. “He knew my name.” She looked up into puzzled brown eyes. “Why did he know my name?”


	3. Closer

_Something brings me closer, to the sadder sounds_  
 _Builds the world around me, that once burnt to the ground_  
  
Maggie dropped the heavy banker’s box onto the conference table with a thud. “Here’s all my case files from the last three months. Solved, unsolved, everything.”  
  
Alex stood across from her, her arms folded across her chest, a worried frown on her face. “We’ll start here, but we might have to go back further.”  
  
Maggie nodded and started unpacking the box, stacking files in the center of the table as Winn and a couple of agents whose names she didn’t know each took a stack and seated themselves around the table.   
  
Maggie was reaching for her own stack when Alex caught her arm. “Want a cup of coffee? Come on.” They walked in relative silence toward the small cafeteria, and Maggie could feel Alex sneaking peeks at her from the side. After getting coffee, Alex guided her to a small office near the command center. Maggie caught sight of a single picture on the desk, of two young girls with sunglasses perched on their heads, and she guessed it was Alex and Kara. She wished she could pick it up and study it in detail, see what she could glean about the woman whose presence in her life was growing more important every day.  
  
“So how are you doing?”  
  
“Gee, I didn’t think you cared.” Maggie inwardly winced at her retort, but right now the only thing driving her was anger and fear, and she wasn’t able to dial them back even for Alex.   
  
“You know I do.”   
  
Maggie wished Alex didn’t sound so understanding, and she toyed with her coffee cup and took a small sip, afraid that if she met Alex’s concerned gaze, the worry and care in those brown eyes would be her undoing. “Well, I found out that I’m being targeted by an alien crime syndicate for reasons I can’t figure out, and a cadre of agents and Supergirl are following me around everywhere trying to keep me safe… so I guess I’m doing peachy.”   
  
The last twenty-four hours had not been fun, and the trio of Henshaw, Supergirl, and Alex had been keeping her in the DEO as much as possible to keep her away from assassins, and she was already going stir crazy. The only things that were keeping her grounded in this surreal new circumstance were memories of Alex, pulling her from the ruined SUV and wrapping her in a soft hug and whispering, “I’m glad you are okay,” the pleading in those brown eyes as they tried to impress upon Maggie the need to stay at the DEO, and the small, subtle ways that Alex had been taking care of her since, like bringing her coffee or dinner at regular intervals. Maggie was sure that once this crisis passed, Alex would go back to being hurt and cold, but in the moment, knowing Alex cared had been the only bright spot.   
  
Maggie was tough and determined, but knowing that there were not just hired killers after her, but alien assassins, shook her, and she had to admit she was afraid. The number and creativity of the possible ways aliens could harm her, from a single touch on her arm to a sonic blast from across a football field, had been impressed upon her in graphic detail when she had tried to insist she could sleep in her own bed. It had been touching, in its own way, the way they had closed ranks in their desire to protect her, but Maggie chafed at the restrictions. She had never been important enough to be targeted, and she wanted to sink back into obscurity as quickly as possible.   
  
Setting her cup down on the desk, Alex stepped closer and ran her hand down Maggie’s arm, and Maggie sucked down a shaky breath as even a simple touch, meant to be comforting, sparked a warmth deep in her gut. Seeing the way Alex snatched her fingers back, Maggie knew she wasn’t the only one affected. Spending this much time with Alex, seeing her in her element, had been strangely exhilarating and depressingly frustrating.    
  
“Can I do anything?” Worried brown eyes met hers, and Maggie fought the pull to lose herself there.   
  
She knew she should resist the temptation to spend any more time with Alex, knew she should go back to the conference room and work, but the walls felt like they were closing in and her mouth turned traitor. “I could use a workout. I don’t suppose you want to teach me some of those ninja moves you were using against Supergirl the other day?”  
  
Alex chuckled softly. “Are you volunteering to spar with me, Detective?”  
  
“I was thinking more learning and less getting my ass kicked.”  
  
“No promises.” Alex’s smile almost reached her eyes, and it struck Maggie how much she missed Alex’s smile. Her real smile, wide, open, happy, that brightened her brown eyes to a warm hazel. A small, pained crease had taken up almost permanent residence between her eyes, and Maggie wanted nothing more than to soothe it away.   
  
Maggie titled her head to the side, her own smile failing to lighten her mood. “No broken bones at least?”  
  
“Deal. I’ll see you in the gym in about 15 minutes.”  
  
Maggie scrounged a NCPD t-shirt and a pair of running shorts from her duffle and changed, thankful she had remembered a pair of tennis shoes while she rushed around her apartment to  pack. Getting to the small gym before she lost her nerve, before the warning voice in her head became a scream, Maggie warmed up for a couple of minutes before Alex came in, her hands full of protective gear. She too had changed, into the blue, long-sleeved zip up and workout pants she had worn the other day with Kara.   
  
“I thought you only fought bare-knuckled, Danvers,” Maggie quipped.  
  
“You’re the one who didn’t want any broken bones.” Alex slapped a pair of grappling gloves into Maggie’s hand before picking up a pair of punch mitts for herself. “What training have you had?”  
  
Maggie appreciated that Alex didn’t assume she was a complete novice. “Karate, when I was kid. Some boxing and self-defense courses. Nothing too badass, just enough to keep from getting into trouble out on the streets.”  
  
“Ok, we’ll warm up with boxing drills.”  
  
For the first time in over a day, Maggie relaxed, the exercise focusing her energy and mind. Her punches were rusty, but Alex called out form tips and she started to get back into a rhythm. Alex was enjoying herself too, if the grin on her face was any indication, and Maggie almost forgot about the tension between them.  
  
Almost.   
  
Dropping the punch mitts, Alex pulled on her own grappling gloves and started reviewing close combat techniques and escapes. Some Maggie was familiar with, some she was not, so she didn’t feel insulted when things got a little too remedial. “Elbows are your most versatile weapon,” Alex explained. “Strong and painful.” She demonstrated several different close quarters strikes and let Maggie get familiar before practicing escapes and takedowns. Everything was going fine until Alex simulated a rear choke, her arm loosely gripping Maggie’s neck, her body pressed against Maggie’s back. “Now how would you get out of this?”  
  
Maggie’s first thought was, what if I don’t want to? That was decidedly the wrong answer, but the heat from Alex’s body and her breath against Maggie’s hair were making it very hard to concentrate.   
  
“Maggie?”  
  
“Elbow?” she ventured a guess, trying to get her head back into the game.  
  
“Elbow strike to the stomach or stomp kick to the foot. But you also need to alleviate the pressure on your throat.” Alex’s grip tightened. “Tuck your chin into my elbow and grab my thumb, twisting it to the outside and down as you shift to the side to deliver the elbow strike.” Maggie tried and failed, miserably, her fingers suddenly fumbling. “Again,” Alex urged.   
  
This time, she managed, but something akin to panic fueled her movements and she slammed her elbow into Alex’s solar plexus. “Oh shit,” Maggie turned to find Alex doubled over and sucking in air. “I’m so sorry. Are you ok?” Alex nodded, still unable to talk, and Maggie caught Alex’s shoulder to help her straighten up. “I’m so sorry,” she repeated as Alex managed to take a deep breath.  
  
“It’s… okay. I just wasn’t... expecting it.”  
  
“You sure you’re okay?” Maggie brushed Alex’s hair back from where it had fallen forward and tucked it behind her ear, and Alex’s breath caught at the touch.   
  
The door to the gym burst open, and Winn came in at a dead run before skidding to a stop in front of the women. His eyes widened almost comically as he looked between Alex and Maggie. “Am I interrupting?”  
  
They jumped apart, and Maggie didn’t need to look to know Alex was blushing. She was just glad that her own cheeks didn’t show as much as her face heated. “Ah, just me beating up Agent Danvers.”  
  
That got a snort of laughter out of Alex. “Accidently.”   
  
“Um, okay,” Winn said, skepticism clear in his tone, but then he saw Alex narrow her eyes at him, and he swallowed audibly. “We think we know who is targeting Ma… Detective Sawyer.”  
  
\---  
  
It was very anti-climatic after that. Maggie had been tracking a string of unexplained deaths that ended up being traced back to a kingpin who had been trafficking off-world substances to humans. A recent raid of a bar distributing drugs had spooked the gang, and they decided to take a proactive measure to avoid exposure.   
  
“Really? They put out a million-dollar hit on me because of that?” Maggie felt mildly insulted when the true facts were revealed, and it didn’t end up being something bigger, something more weighty, than drug smuggling.   
  
“It is an intergalactic cartel setting up their first operation on Earth. Apparently, they do stuff like this on other worlds too.” Alex was back in her black DEO outfit, and she was leaning over the touchscreen, reviewing operational details. “They have three distribution centers, one here in National City, one in Metropolis, and a third in Europe, but the primary base of operations is here.”   
  
“Superman and a DEO team are prepping a raid in Metropolis, and Interpol has been alerted. And Mr. Schott has traced their communication network and financial accounts.” Director Henshaw laid out the broad strokes for the plan.   
  
“Yeah, I managed to backtrace this dark web network by reverse engineering a malware….”  
  
The director cut him off and continued his briefing. “He’ll effect a blackout as soon as we have the major players in custody here. That should freeze the bounty on Detective Sawyer’s head.” Winn pouted that he hadn’t been able to explain his plan until Henshaw fixed him with a steely gaze. “Correct, Mr. Schott?”  
  
“Um, yeah, right.”  
  
“Trap Leader?”  
  
“They have been bringing in regular shipments of drugs and we suspect this is the hangar where they are landing, so Supergirl will be air support to keep any ships from launching until we get inside.” Supergirl huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowed at Alex, who completely ignored the scowl cast in her direction. “You’ll have four gunships to support you.”   
  
“We’ll go in, take the perimeter guards out first. They are human, from what we can tell, but there are at least two aliens, abilities unknown, that we’ll have to watch out for.” Images of two tough-looking aliens, one who could pass as human in a dark alley, came up on the screen. “Leave them to Supergirl or me, understood?” Team leaders nodded, although Maggie saw that Supergirl looked about as happy with that command as she was.   
  
“Ok, suit up.” On that, everyone started moving, including Alex, and Maggie hurried after her as Alex’s long strides propelled her down the hallway.   
  
“What about me?”  
  
Alex didn’t look at her. “You are staying here.”   
  
“Like hell I am.” Maggie caught Alex’s arm, swinging the taller woman around to face her. “I’m the reason this op is happening.”  
  
Alex shrugged out of her grip with ease. “There’s still a bounty on your head.”  
  
“Because they were afraid I would expose them. They are exposed now, and I would be surrounded by agents.”  
  
“Agents who know what they are doing, Maggie. You’re a good cop, but you are still a civilian.”  
  
“We’ve been on joint raids before,” Maggie protested hotly.   
  
“Not like this.” Alex’s tone wasn’t dismissive, but it goaded Maggie nonetheless. “You have no place on this raid.” Alex looked over her shoulder at someone, and Maggie turned to see Director Henshaw behind her. “Hank?”  
  
“I’ll make sure Detective Sawyer stays out of trouble.”   
  
Maggie spun back around, grabbing for Alex’s arm again, but the other woman avoided her, disappearing down the hallway. Eventually, Maggie retraced her steps to the command center, taking a seat beside Winn so she could have a good view of the displays.   
  
The room slowly filled up, the mood quiet and focused, as assets moved into position. Winn gave Maggie an earpiece, and she could hear Alex’s voice, low and intense in her ear. Both the Metropolis and the National City raids were being streamed to coordinate the strike, and Maggie watched as the operations unfolded, the stealth take-down on the guards and then the actual assault. It was hard to tell who was who among the mass of dark shapes, and Maggie tried to pretend she wasn’t only trying to catch glimpses of Alex.   
  
As they closed in on the kingpin, his last line of defense was three, not two, alien bodyguards, and suddenly Maggie had an excellent view of Alex, running straight toward them as the kingpin headed for a small ship tucked into a corner. The chatter in Maggie’s ear mentioned reinforcements, but Alex was already closing on the bodyguards as a barbed tail swept across her path. She checked her trajectory at the last second and managed to keep the barb from slashing her stomach, but it raked across her arm.   
  
Moments later, both Supergirl and J’onn landed amid the bodyguards, taking them down with brutal efficiency. But Alex took advantage of the distraction and chased after the kingpin, firing to try to keep him from getting into his ship. But she was too far away, and he was in, as a red flare arced between what looked like ignition coils. And suddenly Alex was too close as the engines sparked to life, and Maggie thought she saw red and blue streaks a second before the whole screen was enveloped in flames. “Shit!” Maggie jumped back from the screen in shock and sent her chair skidding across the floor, her heart in her throat as she waited for the fire to dissipate.   
  
When the screen cleared after a few merciful seconds, she saw Supergirl standing over Alex who was crouched under the superhero’s cape as the blast died around them. Her breath left her body in a rush, and Maggie realized with a start that her hands were shaking. Supergirl was helping Alex up, and Alex was angrily gesturing toward the sky, and snippets of audio from the agents on the scene said that the kingpin had escaped.   
  
Alex’s voice sounded in her ear, loud and strong, and Maggie let the sound wash over her, trying to calm the pounding of her heart. “Winn, he got away. Were you able to track him?”  
  
“That’s a negative.”  
  
“Damn it.”  
  
“We were expecting him to shoot for high Earth orbit or even leave Earth. It looks like he took a short hop and is still on this planet, for the time being.”  
  
“Keep looking,” Alex growled.   
  
“She must be fun to work with,” Maggie muttered.   
  
“Who, Alex? She’s amazing. Tough, sure, and she’s being a little difficult because she’s worried about…” Winn cut off suddenly and turned his attention back to his monitors. “I should really see if I can locate…”  
  
“Worried about what?”  
  
“It’s ah, more like who. But then, she worries about everyone.”  
  
Maggie reached out and swiveled his chair around so he was facing her, and he slunk back as she leaned in. “Who, Winn? Who is she worried about?”  
  
“You, okay? She’s worried about you.” He gestured toward the monitor where they had just watched an inferno envelope the agent. “She gets a little reckless when she’s trying to protect people she…” He groaned and turned back to his monitors. “I need to work.”  
  
Maggie glanced over his shoulder at the data flowing across his screen. “Is that bounty off my head?”  
  
He tapped a key and leaned back in his chair with his hands thrown back over his head in a satisfied manner. “Accounts are frozen, and I broadcast news of the raids into every dark web alien bulletin board to make sure the news spread. It’ll take a while and the kingpin is still out there, but the heat should be off soon.”  
  
“Ok, thanks for the help.” Maggie patted his shoulder and then started to make her way out of the command center.  
  
“Hey, wait, where are you going? You can’t leave.”  
  
Pausing, she turned back to Winn. “Why not? The bounty is off my head.”  
  
“We didn’t catch the guy! You could still be in danger. Alex is gonna be mad....”  
  
“She can come and yell at me herself.”  
  
“But she’ll yell at me first,” he whined, but Maggie was already out of earshot.


	4. Echoes

Echoes  
 _A cavern for a body, the deeper darker kind_  
 _For all I hear are echoes, repeat inside my mind_  
  
“Danvers!” Maggie called out in her ‘happy to see you’ voice as Alex came tearing into the bar, the other patrons scattering as soon as they saw the scowl on her face. Her eyes were nearly black with anger as the agent prowled up to the pool table, and Maggie’s first thought was how hot Furious Danvers was, wearing her leather like armor, her jaw clenched so hard it could cut glass. Maggie smirked at her across the pool table and tilted her head to the side. She swore she saw sparks catch on the ends of that red hair as Alex’s anger kicked up a couple of notches. “Can I buy you a beer?”   
  
“What the hell, Sawyer?” Alex rounded the table in three strides, catching Maggie’s arm in a vice-like grip and yanking her close so they wouldn’t be overheard. Maggie’s breath caught as their bodies collided, the chill from the leather no competition for the heat that rushed through her at the contact. Alex smelled of gunpowder, motorcycle exhaust, and leather, and she wore it better than any expensive perfume. “You are coming back with me to the DEO,” she hissed.   
  
Maggie was just learning how stubborn Alex could be, but this display of how deep her emotions ran, of how much she cared, nearly brought Maggie to tears. There was fire in Alex’s eyes, but the worry and fear almost overwhelmed the anger.   
  
“Did you hear me, Sawyer?” Alex shook her arm, and Maggie wondered how long she had been staring, breathless, into those dark eyes. There was something wild there, like the agent was still running on the adrenaline from combat and her near-death experience, and Maggie could feel Alex’s heart pounding in her chest where they were pressed together. She wasn’t sure if Alex wanted to punch her or kiss her in that moment; it might be a little bit of both. “We’re leaving now.”  
  
Maggie tore her arm out of Alex’s grip, already feeling the bruises. “You can. I’m not.” She reached out and snagged her bottle, holding it up. “My beer is full, and I just started a game.” Taking a sip, she glared at Alex challengingly before her eyes flicked around the bar to see the other patrons look away quickly to avoid her gaze. “Now you can either get a beer and play a game with me or you can get out.”  
  
Alex retreated a step, still fuming, but she seemed to remember where they were and notice the interest their argument had generated. “Fine. One game.”  
  
“And a beer.” Maggie’s smile widened as Alex’s eyes narrowed, and she couldn’t help but add, “You look a little parched.”   
  
Turning on her heel without a word, Alex stalked over to the bar and ordered. Her pose was an attempt at nonchalant, but her eyes darted around the entire space like she was assessing the threat level of everyone in the bar. Maggie shook her head at the lack of subtlety from the so-called secret agent and continued shooting while Alex waited to pay for her beer. A regular started to walk toward Maggie, a hand raised in greeting, but Alex intercepted him with a glare that could melt bulkheads and stepped, bodily, between him and the detective. He gave Maggie a puzzled look over Alex’s shoulder but left them alone.  
  
“He wasn’t going to try to kill me, Danvers,” Maggie said when Alex turned to face her.  
  
“You don’t know that.”  
  
“The aliens and humans here are not threats.”  
  
“You don’t know that,” Alex repeated. “I’ve seen people put a payday over friendship before.”  
  
Digging into her pocket, Maggie pulled out a handful of quarters and paid for another game, letting Alex rack the balls. The light above their table cast the rest of the bar into shadow, and Maggie concentrated on the game, trying to keep Alex’s paranoia from infecting her. She was distracted by the way Alex moved with her, always positioning herself between Maggie and a possible attack.  
  
When Alex leaned over the table to line up a shot, Maggie saw the heavy tactical firearm stuck in the waistband of her jeans. Alex’s focus was not on the game, however, and the shot was hurried, the ball bouncing off the bumper several inches from the pocket.   
  
“Subtle,” Maggie remarked under her breath as she stepped past Alex to take her shot. She leaned in a little closer, reached around the taller woman, and skimmed her fingers across a bare patch of skin before catching the edge of Alex’s sweater under her leather jacket and tugging it down to cover the firearm. She didn’t miss the sound of Alex’s breath hitching at her touch. “Should I get you a jacket emblazoned with ‘Protective Detail’ across the back?”  
  
Alex’s gaze shifted to her face, and Maggie realized how close they were standing and how her arm was still around Alex’s waist. She knew she was playing a dangerous game, both with her safety and with the woman in front of her, and a thrill raced through her body at the thought. Maggie wasn’t usually a risk-taker, and she had insisted on friendship with Alex to avoid just this situation, but here she was, pushing every single one of Alex’s buttons and relishing the response.   
  
“Next time, I’ll bring a whole tactical team and arrest you,” Alex snapped. “Would that be subtle enough for you?”  
  
“I didn’t know you were into handcuffs, Danvers,” Maggie quipped, grinning in satisfaction as a deep blush heated Alex’s cheeks.  
  
For a second, Maggie thought she had pushed Alex too far and she braced herself as those dark eyes turned stormy, but then Alex stepped back, out of the half-embrace Maggie had her in, and let out a shaky breath. “Let’s just finish the game and get you back to the DEO.”  
  
“What if I don’t want to go?”  
  
Alex’s jaw tightened, but her eyes were determined. “Okay, you don’t have to go to the DEO. You want to chance it out here, fine, but I’m staying with you. If an assassin who didn’t get the memo tries anything, they can take me with you.”  
  
Breath caught in her throat at the thought of Alex risking herself again; the image of flames enveloping the agent were still too vivid, the stricken feeling in her stomach had just begun to fade. “I’m a big girl, Danvers. You don’t need to put yourself in danger on my account. Of course, you don’t seem to need any help in that department.”  
  
“What do you mean?” Alex asked, puzzled.  
  
“Do you know what it was like to watch you run into a firestorm, with apparently no regard for your own safety?” Alex’s soft exclamation in reaction to Maggie’s words was a perfect ‘oh’ as all the air seemed to leave her lungs. “For a second there…” Maggie’s lips pressed together, unable to say the words, and her eyes searched Alex’s before dropping to the pool table. “I didn’t see Supergirl, all I saw was you a second before…”  
  
“Hey.” Alex dipped her head to catch Maggie’s gaze, her voice suddenly soft. “I’m okay. Supergirl and I make a pretty good team.”   
  
“Yeah?” Maggie grabbed Alex’s arm where it had been sliced open earlier, and Alex hissed in pain. “I thought we made a good team too. If I had been there, I might have been able to help.”  
  
Alex sighed and glanced around the room, noticing they were once more the center of attention. “Can we take this conversation someplace a little more secure? And private?”  
  
“I’m assuming you mean the DEO?”  
  
“For one more night. Tomorrow, we’ll put some additional security in your apartment and you can return home. Okay?”  
  
From the look in Alex’s eyes, Maggie knew she wouldn’t relent until she got her way, and at least Maggie made her point. “Okay,” Maggie acquiesced, reaching for her jacket. “So how much did you yell at Winn?”  
  
Standing to the right and a half-step behind Maggie, Alex positioned herself like a protective escort as they left the bar, and Maggie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I may owe him an apology.”  
  
“May?”  
  
“I’ll take him donuts in the morning.”  
  
\---  
  
“I need to talk to you.” The Girl of Steel lived up to her moniker for once, her eyes and voice steely and her hands on her hips as Alex and Maggie approached the command center.  
  
“Not now,” Alex sighed and tried to brush past the superhero, but Supergirl wasn’t having it, any of it. She caught Alex’s arm and pulled her into a glass-enclosed conference room, not bothering to close the door.   
  
Not that a closed door would have kept her angry voice from carrying as she paced the length of the room, her cape snapping behind her. “What were you thinking? You ran under that engine like you’re bulletproof.”  
  
“I thought I could stop him.”  
  
“Well, you didn’t.” Supergirl whirled around and stalked back toward the head of the table, where Alex stood, arms crossed over her chest, stone-faced. “I told you to make smarter choices.”  
  
“And I told you, I will do my job. I’ve been with the DEO, doing my job, protecting people--” Supergirl looked like she was about to speak, but Alex cut her off, “–including you, for years.”  
  
“You don’t have to take risks now.”   
  
“Says the woman who flew a million-ton prison into space and almost died.”  
  
“Says the woman who flew a decades-old alien spaceship into space after me when she didn’t even know what 90% of the buttons did.”   
  
Maggie’s eyebrows shot up at the comment, making a mental note to ask Alex about that later. That was a story she most definitely hadn’t heard before.   
  
“I found the ‘on’ switch, didn’t I?” Alex smirked, cocky and unapologetic.   
  
“Or the woman who came into my mind using experimental virtual reality gear. James told me what you asked him to do, you know.”  
  
“That thing was going to kill you.” A frustrated sigh escaped Alex’s lips. ”What do you want from me? This is my job, and you can’t be everywhere, all the time. You have to let other people help.”  
  
“There’s a difference between helping and taking _stupid_ risks. Like going after Mon-El by yourself…”  
  
“I _had_ taken on Kryptonians before.”  
  
A sudden silence enveloped the room, and Supergirl paled, her eyes welling with tears. Alex stilled and shook her head. “I didn’t mean….”  
  
“No, no, I get it. You’ve made your point.” With that, the superhero was gone, brushing past Maggie roughly as she fled the room.  
  
“Damn it,” Alex sighed, dropping her chin to her chest and pinching the bridge of her nose.   
  
“Should you go after her?” Maggie edged into the room carefully, seeing Alex’s uneven temper. While she was glad that Supergirl was also worried about Alex, this latest blow-up only served to deepen the mystery of their relationship. They were more than colleagues, that much was clear, but whatever was between them did not appear to be romantic. “She seemed upset.”   
  
“She needs a moment,” Alex muttered. Her hand came up to rub the muscles of her neck, a pained look crossing her features. “For that matter, so do I.” A second later, Alex was gone too, and Maggie found herself alone.   
  
\---  
  
The command center hummed with the sound of low conversations and computer equipment, and Maggie seated herself at an unused workstation with a stack of paperwork and a cup of hot chocolate. After the day she had just had, sleep was not an option. Propping herself up on her elbow, Maggie managed to read half a page of her report before her mind started wandering.  
  
There weren’t a lot of things she was sure about right now, but she knew Alex had come out for her. She had been here before, the girls in her high school, giggling as they had their first kiss with her, coming by after softball practice to cuddle on her bed, and then ending up with the quarterback and pretending she didn’t exist in the lunchroom. With experimenting co-eds, she was the first girl they kissed, but the crushes never went much past a few weeks.   
  
The pattern had continued into her mid-twenties, when she swore off first timers completely. Maggie was always the first, never the last, and it had worn on her, getting caught up in the excitement, being part of the newness, only to be discarded when the buzz faded. It had taken time, but she learned to wall off and keep parts of herself hidden behind an elaborate system of defense mechanisms and tests. Maggie didn’t have many people she cared about because very few had the perseverance to keep trying. She knew that’s why her last girlfriend had called her a borderline sociopath; Maggie had forced her to prove her feelings too many times, made her give chase when she ran away yet again, and it got to be too much.   
  
Alex had come out for her, but she was just another woman with a crush. That’s what Maggie needed to believe to keep her walls intact, to keep her feelings for Alex at bay. But the more time she spent with Alex, the more the narrative she was telling herself about the other woman just felt wrong.   
  
For all the time they had spent together playing pool and talking about work, Maggie realized that the Alex she had come to know, slightly bumbling, somewhat clueless, awkward and nerdy, was only one small piece of a much larger puzzle. Alex was also fearless and driven, running into danger and protecting people without a thought for herself. If she had known, Maggie might have anticipated that this woman who could barely admit she liked girls would have the guts to kiss her in the middle of a bar filled with people.   
  
Worse, Alex cared. Alex worried. Alex always seemed to show up, even when Maggie thought she had finally run the other woman off for good. After Maggie’s perps had died before her eyes, Alex had appeared in the bar, like an apparition summoned by Maggie’s desire to see her, two shots into an attempt to drink herself into stupor. Maggie knew that if things hadn’t turned personal, if Maggie hadn’t made things personal, Alex would have sat there, listened to Maggie talk about the case and the dead perps, and bought her drinks all night.   
  
I was worried about you. Those words stayed with Maggie more than anything, even more than the trust Alex had shown in coming out to her. Thrown into a panic, confused and possibly even insulted, Alex’s first thoughts had been to come and check on her, to make sure she was ok, and the memory warmed Maggie even now. She wondered if Alex even suspected that the line of shots that night hadn’t been about the truly awful events at work, but rather had been to ward off the fear, deep in her guts, that she had ruined her friendship with Alex.   
  
Maggie couldn’t bear to be Alex’s first but not her last. She couldn’t imagine her life without Alex in it. Crushes ended, but friendships lasted. At least that’s what she told herself as she tried to rationalize the pain she was inflicting on Alex, and, if she was being honest, on herself, by denying her feelings for the other woman.   
  
Eventually, Maggie gave up and stuffed her paperwork back in her bag and went in search of the object of her thoughts. Alex had showered and changed back into her DEO black-on-black when Maggie found her in the lab, the ends of her auburn hair curling where she hadn’t dried her hair completely. Maggie’s fingers itched to play with those soft curls, and she swallowed against the wave of desire that threatened to engulf her.   
  
Screens filled with data and molecule diagrams surrounded her, but Alex’s eyes were unfocused and her expression was pensive. Maggie leaned in the doorway, watching for a moment while she tried to collect her thoughts.  
  
“That’s creepy, Sawyer,” Alex said as she pressed a key and one of the screens flipped to a new diagram. She frowned, the crease between her eyebrows deepening, before her lips twisted in irritation. Another key blanked the screens entirely, and Alex swung around to face Maggie. “Can I help you, Detective?”  
  
“You ruined my plans tonight, Danvers. The least you could do is buy me a drink.”  
  
“We’re at the DEO, not a bar.”  
  
“You mean to tell me that you don’t have a bottle hidden away in your desk for special occasions?” Seeing Alex beginning to waver, Maggie flashed a wide smile and injected a hint of pleading into her voice. “Please? I’m bored.”  
  
Alex rolled her eyes, but gestured for Maggie to follow as she headed to her office and sat behind her desk, rummaging in a drawer before pulling out a bottle. Two heavy crystal glasses followed.   
  
Maggie raised an eyebrow; she didn’t recognize the name, Aberlour, but she knew enough to know an 18-year Highland Scotch was not exactly cheap. Catching the look, Alex shrugged and reached for the bottle, pouring a finger into each glass. “I splurge on the occasion. The only thing my paycheck goes to is rent and takeout for my sister, which, granted, is a considerable expense.”  
  
The first sip was like drinking liquid gold, smooth and mellow with hints of citrus and honey. “Wow, that’s… something.” It reminded Maggie of Alex, of the taste of Alex’s lips when the agent had kissed her. Her cheeks warmed, like a ghost of Alex’s fingers caressing her cheeks, and Maggie glanced down at her glass, unable to look at Alex in fear the other woman would see right through her.   
  
When she finally got control of her emotions and dared raise her head, Maggie found Alex gazing pensively at a spot in the distance, her thoughts a million miles away. Her fingers toyed with her glass, tapping the crystal lightly.   
  
“You wanna talk about it?”   
  
Alex shrugged and took a sip of her drink. “Just running through the list of apologies I owe.” Her gaze slid sideways and fixed on Maggie under furrowed brows. “Maybe I should start now.”   
  
“You don’t…”  
  
“No, I do. I was out of line; I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that.”  
  
Curbing the impulse to deflect the apology, Maggie nodded. “Well, breaking out your secret stash for me more than makes up for it.”  
  
Alex snorted. “I’m not so sure about that.”   
  
“Want to talk about that scene with Supergirl earlier?” Maggie guessed at what was really bothering the other woman.  
  
“No.” Alex’s response was instantaneous, and she grimaced as if she knew how it sounded to Maggie. “Sorry, it’s just complicated.” Her gaze shifted down to the amber liquid in her glass, and she sighed. “And classified.”  
  
“Maybe someday you should read me in,” Maggie challenged, with more heat than she intended as a pang of jealousy tightened her chest.   
  
“Someday,” Alex muttered in what sounded like agreement, diffusing Maggie’s nascent anger. “But not tonight.” She took a longer drink, finishing the remainder in her glass, and Maggie did the same. “It’s getting late. I should get a little sleep before I start my rounds of donut delivery.” Alex cast Maggie a sheepish look. “If they run out of crullers, my, ah, apology to Supergirl will be a lot less effective.”  
  
Maggie stifled her gut reaction to the fond, soft smile that curved Alex’s lips at the mere thought of the superhero.   
  
“Well, if you are bringing in donuts, my favorite…”  
  
“Maple syrup glazed with bacon.” Alex shrugged at Maggie’s raised eyebrow. “You had a half-eaten donut on your desk the other day, and I know my donuts.”   
  
“Is that your superpower?”  
  
“Something like that,” Alex muttered with a small smile. She stood, reaching skyward in a long stretch before yawning and rubbing a hand over her face.   
  
“Are you going home?” Maggie tried to keep the jealousy from her voice. Her apartment wasn’t the most amazing space, but she was getting tired of squatting in the bunk room.   
  
“Nah, I have a cot.” Alex gestured back toward a hidden corner of the office.   
  
“You, ah, don’t have to stay just because I’m trapped here.”   
  
“I crash here a lot.”  
  
“You literally live a block away.” Alex shrugged again, a little self-consciously, and made one of those scrunched up faces that made Maggie smile. “Do you sleep with your holster on too?” she teased, and Alex’s eyes narrowed.  
  
“Most of the time, no. Goodnight, Detective.”  
  
“Goodnight, Alex.” Maggie didn’t miss the way Alex’s eyes widened as she used her first name, nor the way her own body warmed at the soft, shy smile Alex gave her as she left the office. 


	5. Let Down

_I won’t let you down_  
  
Maggie’s paperwork did not miraculously get more interesting overnight, she thought as she sighed and pulled another folder off the pile. She had requisitioned a quiet, out-of-the-way conference room to try to bust it out, and while she had finished two reports in the last hour, she was already getting bored.  
  
“Looks exciting.”  
  
“Yeah, loads.” Maggie kept her eyes focused on the document in front of her as she finished her sentence. She had been hoping Alex would come and distract her, but now that the other woman was there, Maggie was suddenly shy.  
  
“I guess you won’t need this then.” Alex shook the paper bag in her hand, and Maggie’s stomach growled as the smell of pastries filled the room.    
  
“Is that what I think it is, Danvers?”  
  
“Donuts.”  
  
“And coffee that doesn't taste like it's been on a burner for a week?” Maggie couldn’t help herself as a wide smile crossed her face, and Alex’s grin was just as wide until the moment between them stretched just a little too long, and Alex glanced away. “Whatever did I do to deserve this?” Maggie teased as she pulled her favorite out of the bag.  
  
“Yeah, yeah, just eat your donut,” Alex snarked as she passed Maggie a cup of coffee and settled in at the table, pulling her own donut out and taking a sip of her coffee.  
  
“Ah, I get it.” At Alex’s puzzled look, Maggie explained, “You go on your apology tour and get to have coffee and donuts with everyone.”  
  
“Nope, just with you.”  
  
“Really?” Maggie was charmed in spite of herself, and she tried to school her features as a dopey smile threatened to break out.  
  
“Don't go getting soft on me, Sawyer,” Alex scoffed as she woke her tablet and picked up a stylus, leaning back in her chair to work. “Even if I wanted to, Supergirl inhales all the donuts before I even get a chance to eat one.”  
  
They worked in silence for a while, the quiet only broken when Maggie shuffled papers or dug in her bag for post-its or scraps of paper with notes scrawled on them. She could feel Alex’s amused gaze as she flattened a crumpled strip of paper on the table and peered at it, trying to read the faded scribbles. “What?”  
  
“Your department could go digital.”  
  
“And give us all fancy tablets and wide screen TVs?” Maggie asked in mock horror as Alex flipped her hand in a comical ‘your point?’ gesture. “What’s the fun in that? What would us poor local cops do if we couldn’t spill coffee on important witness statements or dribble sauce from meatball subs onto our file folders?”  
  
Alex snickered. “Meatball subs? Really?”  
  
“There’s this amazing sandwich shop around the corner from the station. I’ll have to take you sometime.”  
  
Retreating back into a companionable silence, Maggie caught herself sneaking peeks at Alex as the other woman’s eyes narrowed in concentration, and she tapped the stylus against her lips. Deep in thought, Alex didn’t seem aware of the scrutiny. Swiping through screens, she circled and underlined, her hand finding her coffee cup for an occasional sip. A smirk pulled at the corner of Alex’s mouth as her fingers tapped out a quick note, her eyes suddenly gleaming.  
  
“A breakthrough, Doctor Danvers?”  
  
“Oh!” Alex’s head popped up and she glanced over at Maggie as if she had forgotten the other woman was there. “Yeah, I think so. One of those bodyguards we captured the other night secretes some kind of acid and he almost escaped the holding cell, and...” Her words trailed off as if Alex suddenly realized how excitedly she was talking, and a blush heated her cheeks until Maggie tilted her head to the side, nodding and smiling encouragingly. “It’s not like anything we’ve seen before. I’ve been trying to break down the genetic markers so we can make a compound to neutralize the acid.”  
  
More explanation followed, long and complicated, and Maggie let the words wash over her, not really trying to follow them. She had a background in earth systems science—otherwise she wouldn’t have been promoted to the Science Division—but she lacked the technical background to grasp much beyond a cursory understanding of what Alex was talking about. Instead, Maggie just watched as excitement warmed Alex’s eyes and her hand gestures got more animated. She could sit and listen to the usually restrained and reserved agent talk about science for hours. “Anyway, I should…” Alex’s fingers fluttered toward the lab, and Maggie hoped her expression didn’t look as smitten as she felt when Alex stood to go.  
  
“I’ll be here.” Maggie swept her hand over the files spread over the table surface. “With all my dead trees.”  
  
Maggie couldn’t help herself; she watched as Alex walked away, wishing, for not the first time, Alex didn’t look so damn sexy in BDUs and a pistol belt, to say nothing of the thigh holster strapped to her leg. There was no getting around the fascination Maggie had for the other woman, even that first time she had seen Alex, striding across the airport runway in that perfect cheap knock-off suit that screamed mid-level field agent with a chip on her shoulder. The heels had been just a little too high to be everyday wear, and the tactical watch, worn on the inside of her wrist to avoid reflecting light, had piqued Maggie’s interest. Even now, Maggie grinned as she remembered the dialogue straight out of a movie, Your jurisdiction ends where I say it ends, and that little shoulder roll Alex had done to puff herself up.  
  
It didn’t take long to find out the truth about the mysterious Agent Danvers. The big-ass gun and tactical vest suited her way better than the cheesy suit, as did the Ducati, leather jacket, and tight jeans later that evening. From the beginning, Maggie had been in deep, so deep Darla, in just bringing them their beers, had pegged it immediately without a telepathic connection.  
  
Maggie wanted the other woman so much it had made her chest hurt, but she couldn’t let herself act on those feelings. If she had learned nothing else from the ruined relationships that littered her past, she had learned that. Once the girls got past the mystery, the facade, they found Maggie ordinary, and even boring, just a workaholic with a single-minded focus on justice that left little left for anything or anyone else.  
  
A flash of red caught the corner of her eye: Supergirl, making a beeline for Alex’s lab, and Maggie sighed. She might try to be a hero in her own way, but she couldn’t compete with the living embodiment of the word. She wondered if it made her a terrible person at the thrill she felt to see Supergirl heading back out of the lab, not mad but pouting, like Alex had sent her packing because she had work to do.  
  
\---  
  
A couple of hours later, the crick in her neck was causing one hell of a headache, but at least the two-month backlog of reports was nearly done. Signing her name and writing her badge number one last time, Maggie slammed the folder closed and tossed her pen down.  
  
“Done?”  
  
Maggie jumped, just a little, at the sound of Alex’s voice. “Shit, Danvers, you have to stop that.”  
  
“You’re wound a little tight, Sawyer.”  
  
Maggie opened her mouth to disagree, but it was true, at least of late. She sighed. “Yeah, being targeted for death does that to a girl.”  
  
“Better put away your paperwork.” Alex hefted yet another bag, and Maggie recognized the logo stamped on the side of it.  
  
“You’ve got to be kidding me. You went to the sandwich shop?”  
  
“Supergirl did.” Alex set the bag down in the center of the table and started unpacking chips and wrapped sandwiches while Maggie tucked folders in her bag.  
  
“Supergirl?”  
  
Henshaw stepped into the conference room and sat down, leaving a seat empty beside Alex, and Winn followed, his arms full of drinks. A dark-haired woman helped him place the drinks on the table before swiping a drink of her own and a sandwich from the middle of the table. Supergirl came in and sat beside Alex, a sparkling smile just for the agent; apparently, Alex’s apology had been successful with the superhero and kicking her out of the lab hadn’t been too big of a deal.  
  
“Working lunch?” Maggie asked across the table as everyone settled down with a sandwich and a drink, and Alex nodded.  
  
“Status on your case.”  
  
It was quiet for a few minutes as everyone ate; Supergirl finished her sandwich before anyone, and her gaze shifted to Alex’s, her eyes going into full puppy mode as soon as Alex noticed her interest. Alex shook her head with an annoyed frown and shifted so her food was further away from the superhero, but after a minute of unrelenting pouting, Alex finally gave up, cutting what remained of her sandwich in half and handing it over to the alien. Looking up, Alex saw Maggie’s amused smirk and rolled her eyes in disgust.  
  
Finally, Henshaw wadded up his wrapper, and everyone around the table perked up as the meeting began in earnest. “Mr. Schott, where are we on Detective Sawyer’s apartment?”  
  
“The team is installing the floor sensors now and they should be done in another hour. This tech has to be seen to be believed,” he gushed as he turned to Maggie. “Biometric door knob that looks exactly like your old one that detects like, hundreds of types of aliens and feeds the info to an app I installed on your phone. Plus sensors that will tell you if someone is in your apartment, or even a small mouse, they are that sensitive…”  
  
“All that data going to be fed here too?” Maggie asked sourly.  
  
“No,” Alex replied hurriedly. “But there’s a panic button on your phone that will alert us, and you can send any info from the app you want us to check if something seems fishy.”  
  
Maggie sighed, but nodded. It still seemed a little unnecessary, but if it allowed her to go home and made Alex less paranoid, she guessed she could live with it.  
  
“Agent Vasquez.” The director addressed the woman at the end of the table, and she set the remains of her sandwich down and picked up her tablet, the monitor in the room flashing to a map of the west coast. “Status on the search?”  
  
“Yes, Sir, we found the ship abandoned just north of the border between Oregon and Washington, and with the intel we recovered from the burnt hard drives, we’ve identified some additional safe houses and bases. We believe he’s traveling to one of these locations by land, and we have scouts armed with the bio-tracers Agent Danvers created watching the locations. We’ll know as soon as he arrives at one of them.”  
  
The map flashed from the west to the east coast, and Vasquez frowned. “One additional piece of information we found was that the gang had recently set up operations in Gotham.” Groans erupted around the table; Gotham’s reputation for lawlessness and general corruption were well-known and well-earned. “Don’t know why they didn’t just set up there first,” the woman griped. “An alien drug ring wouldn’t have attracted attention from the authorities for years.”  
  
“Probably took them awhile to figure out which of the criminal networks they had to pay off to set up a base,” Alex muttered. “Do we have any contacts….”  
  
The director turned to the superhero. “Supergirl, do you think Superman’s ‘friend’ in town would help?”  
  
“I don’t know. Vigilantes can be unreliable if there’s not a personal grudge to motivate them. My cousin’s relationship with him is unpredictable at best.”  
  
“We have a team in Metropolis,” interjected Vasquez, “but without some official sanction, things could get... complicated.”  
  
Maggie cleared her throat, reluctant to volunteer for so many reasons, but she felt like she should say something. “I still have some contacts in Gotham. I might not get any better reception than you would, but I can try. It might be better, or at least easier, than going through official channels.”  
  
The judgmental looks she was expecting did not materialize; if anything, the other people around the table looked sympathetic, and she stifled a sigh. Of course they had read her file; they were a super-secret extra-governmental agency after all. They probably knew stuff about her that not even her closest friends or family knew.  
  
“You spent two years as a rookie in Gotham, is that correct?” Henshaw asked.  
  
Maggie snorted at the description. “Fifteen months, but six months walking the beat in Gotham is like ten years on the job in any other city.”  
  
“If you have a contact you trust who our team can work with, that would help,” Alex said quietly. “But if you don’t want to, we’ll go through official channels.”  
  
“I can try. No promises.”  
  
“Still better than what we have,” Vasquez said. “So if you can get a contact, let me know.”  
  
The meeting went on around her, but Maggie wasn’t paying attention as she slipped her phone out of her pocket. She noted that she did indeed have a new app installed called Sawyer Secure Home (SSH), complete with a professional-looking logo, before she opened her contacts and started scrolling through them.  
  
The meeting wound down, and the team members trickled out of the room. Alex lingered, picking up discarded wrappers and clearing the table. It was a not-so-subtle pretense, betrayed by the worried look she cast at Maggie. “You, ah, need anything?”  
  
Maggie shook her head slowly. “I’m ok. I’m just going to make a couple of calls.”  
  
Nodding, Alex left her alone, closing the door firmly behind her, while Maggie stared down at the name at the top of her screen.  
  
Rona Reyes.  
  
It had been years, almost five, Maggie realized with a shock, since they had spoken. Memories from what seemed like someone else’s life flashed in her head, like their time at the academy, the late nights bonding over criminal procedures and burgers at the local diner, all culminating in Maggie’s pride in them walking across the stage and getting their badges together.    
  
That moment had been the high point, before they started at Gotham PD and it all went to shit. The year after the academy was a blur, the constant violence in the streets, the never-ending flow of criminals out of jail, like they were doing their job as cops in reverse. The fights at home when Maggie’s frustration with the corruption in their own ranks got to be too much, and the growing realization that they were on opposite sides of this particular battle.  
  
Maggie had no delusions about the reception she would get; their break up had been bitter amid their mutual feelings of betrayal. But Rona was still dependable, still on the side of the law, unlike so many in Gotham, and they needed to root out the drug ring. Taking a deep breath, Maggie hit the number before she lost her nerve.  
  
\---  
  
Alex appeared, like her radar tuned to Maggie had pinged, barely a minute after she hung up the phone. “You okay?”  
  
“Yeah,” Maggie answered softly. She turned to grab her bag and pull out a slip of paper, writing Rona’s name and phone number on it hurriedly. “Give Agent Vasquez this number, have her call.”  
  
“Okay.” Alex stood in the doorway for a few more moments, clearly wanting to ask while Maggie stared at the floor and willed her not to. “Hey, I have to do a thing in a few. Wanna help?”  
  
Maggie glanced up and look at Alex with narrowed eyes. “What kind of thing?” she asked suspiciously.  
  
“Just drop off your bag and meet me at the elevators in five, Sawyer.”  
  
Intrigued but still wary, Maggie did as she was told, to find Alex waiting for her when she reached the elevators. “You going to tell me what we are doing?”  
  
“Nope.”  
  
Maggie’s glare had no effect, and in fact, the more annoyed she appeared, the more pleased Alex seemed. Finally, the elevator dinged at their floor, they got in, and Alex pressed two buttons simultaneously. The elevator started a swift descent, and Maggie raised an eyebrow at the speed they were traveling. Alex stood with her hands on her hips, just above her tactical belt, unfazed even as the elevator came to an abrupt stop.  
  
“Um,” Maggie started to say when the doors didn’t open, but Alex just leaned forward to stare at the digital display, her hand flat against the panel, and Maggie realized that it was a biometric scan. More James Bond stuff; she should really stop being surprised by it at this point.  
  
The room they stepped into was cavernous, filled with SUVs, trucks, and combat vehicles, and Alex and Maggie threaded their way through the space. Alex had to catch Maggie’s arm more than once to keep her from walking into someone as she took in the hardware with wide eyes. Finally, they stepped into a room that was wall-to-wall weapons.  
  
“Here.” Alex handed Maggie ear protection and shooting glasses before perching a pair of glasses on her own head and setting ear protection around her neck. “Put this on,” Alex said, offering a belt and holster like the one she was wearing.  
  
“You sure it will go with my jeans?” Maggie joked. “Maybe I should get my own black ops uniform.”  
  
Alex cast a sideways glance at her, considering. “You want one? Supply is just over there.”  
  
“I’m... I’m good,” Maggie replied, surprised by the offer. She adjusted the belt to fit and put it around her waist, but the holster straps were entirely too loose. “I’m just a dumb local cop, remember?” she muttered as she bent over and tried to tighten the straps, mumbling a curse under her breath as she struggled to reach.  
  
Alex shooed her hands away, sliding around Maggie’s thigh and catching the straps. The light brush of Alex’s fingers should not have caused tremors in Maggie’s stomach or a slow heat to gather in her guts, but it did. Alex was kneeling at her feet and concentrating on the straps, her hair falling forward across her face, and Maggie wanted to run her fingers through it, catch Alex’s jaw, and draw her up for a kiss.  
  
Alex secured the holster and glanced up, her eyes widening slightly as she realized her position, or maybe Maggie’s eyes gave her thoughts away. Either way, Alex jumped up and turned away from Maggie abruptly, opening and closing several drawers before extracting a sidearm and passing it to Maggie without a word. Slinging a rifle over her shoulder, she stepped over to another rack and grabbed a stocky-looking weapon.  
  
“Is that a Tavor?” Maggie recognized the assault rifle from the forward trigger position and bullpup design; it was the standard gun used by the Israeli Defense Forces but no US organizations used them that she knew of.  
  
“Yeah.” Alex handed it over to Maggie while she rummaged through drawers and stuffed magazines into an ammo bag while Maggie raised the weapon to her shoulder, balancing it with ease.  
  
“Just when I thought your job couldn’t get any cooler. Must be nice.”  
  
The wishful tone in Maggie’s voice must have registered, because Alex straightened and finally turned back to face Maggie. “Look, yesterday, I wasn’t trying to be an asshole by keeping you out of the raid.”  
  
“Coulda fooled me.”  
  
Alex rolled her eyes and gestured for Maggie to follow through a door in the back of the armory. Lights blinked on as they stepped through the door, illuminating a range the size of a football field. Dropping the ammo and setting the rifle down on the empty counter, Alex faced Maggie, her hands on her hips, and she looked so much like the firearms instructor at the academy that Maggie chuckled.  
  
“What?”  
  
“You look like you’re going to tell me to drop and give you twenty.”  
  
“Like you would obey my orders,” Alex joked before turning serious. “I know you can handle yourself, Maggie, but you are not SWAT-rated and until I can check you out on our basic field weapons, I can’t let you go out on a tactical mission alongside trained agents.”  
  
“Is that what we’re doing here?”  
  
“That’s what we’re doing,” Alex confirmed.  
  
Maggie hefted the Tavor in her hands, a smile blossoming on her face. “So I get to shoot this?”  
  
“I thought you might like that. It’s the CTAR, the compact version. Like you.” Alex scrunched her face up with her lips pressed together, like she was trying to keep from smiling.  
  
“Are you calling me short?” Alex shrugged, a grin starting to break out at the defensive tone in Maggie’s voice. ”You have all of three inches on me, Danvers.”  
  
Alex drew her shoulders back so she was standing tall and stepped into Maggie’s space, smirking down at her. “Does that bother you, Detective?” Her gaze met Maggie’s and held, and Maggie caught her lower lip between her teeth as tension spiked between them.  
  
She tilted her head to the side and gave Alex her best shit-eating grin, the one she knew got under Alex’s skin during their first meeting. “Not at all, Agent.”  
  
Alex didn’t allow herself to be baited; instead, she took a careful step back, and gestured around the space. “We should… we should, ah, get started. While we have the range to ourselves.”  
  
Shooting with Alex was fun, Maggie decided a short while later, and it was the perfect pick-me-up after her conversation with Rona. Her sidearm proficiency was through the roof and Maggie knew it, but it was satisfying to see Alex’s nod of approval, especially with the Glock 19 Alex had given her instead of her usual Beretta.  
  
The assault rifles took more getting used to, but Maggie was satisfied with her groupings with the Colt. “Ugh,” she muttered as another target came back with holes scattered across the torso, and Alex chuckled. “What am I doing wrong?” Maggie asked as she checked the sights on the Tavor for the third time.  
  
“Here.” Up until now, Alex had mostly let Maggie shoot, but she sent another target down range, slapped a fresh magazine in, and lined up the Tavor, her stance relaxed and fluid. She fired tight bursts of three until the magazine was empty and, when the target came back, her groupings were better than Maggie’s but nowhere near the accuracy of her shots with the Colt. “It’s not my favorite,” she admitted. “It’s got a tricky trigger mechanism and only fair long-range accuracy. But it’s great in close quarters when clearing tight spaces and you need a hand free.  
  
“You did better than me with that.”  
  
“I’ve had more practice. You did good for your first time out,” Alex said, and it sounded like an invitation to come back. Maybe they might get to a friendship after all, Maggie thought, if they could get enough space to let the tension die down. “I think you passed, Sawyer.”  
  
“Yeah? So when do I get to try one of those grenade launchers?” Maggie asked as she helped Alex gather up the empty magazines and spent brass.  
  
“Some other time. They should have your apartment done soon, if it’s not ready now. I can take you upstairs to check if you want.”  
  
As much as Maggie wanted to get out of the DEO, as much as she needed time away from Alex, the thought of leaving suddenly didn’t seem very appealing. “Were you going to stay down here?”  
  
“I was going to clean. The weapons,” Alex clarified, “and re-fill the magazines.”  
  
“Don’t you have an armorer?”  
  
Alex shrugged, a little self-consciously. “It’s relaxing. There’s something, I dunno, calming about the process.”  
  
“I’ll help, then. It’s my mess too,” Maggie said when Alex gave her a skeptical look. “It’s the least I can do.”  
  
They retreated to a small room off the armory with several beat-up chairs, a couple of stained tables, and a strong smell of gun oil. Alex grabbed kits and swabs, and Maggie started breaking down the Glock while Alex took apart the Colt.  
  
Maggie set the pin, the screws, and the barrel of the Glock down in a careful grid, glancing up just in time to catch Alex watching her with small smile. “What, Danvers?”  
  
“You like the cleaning process too, don’t you?”  
  
“No, because that would make me a nerd,” Maggie teased with a grin, loving how Alex’s smile widened. “I’m a cop. Your weapon is your life. Gotta take care of it.”  
  
“Nerd.”  
  
They cleaned for a while in companionable silence, but Maggie could feel the occasional glances Alex shot her, that little worry line between her eyes betraying her thoughts. “She’s my ex.”  
  
Alex didn’t need to ask who Maggie was talking about, as if she had been waiting for Maggie to bring it up, and Maggie wasn’t sure if she should be annoyed or impressed by Alex’s patience.  
  
“I figured.”  
  
“You mean, you didn’t read it in whatever file you have on me? I figure everything about me is in there.” Maggie didn’t even try to hide the bitterness from her voice.  
  
Alex paused, her head swinging from where she was swabbing the barrel of the Colt to look at Maggie in surprise. “Maggie, if there’s a dossier on you here, I haven’t seen it. I saw your jacket, basic details on work history and background.”  
  
Maggie stared at her skeptically, but Alex seemed sincere. “I saw the reference to Gotham, and well, given the reputation of the PD there, I did some of my own research. Wanted to know who I was working with, you know?” Maggie had to admit she tried to do the same thing, but the only thing she had found were a couple of deadly boring journal articles on genetics. “I found your deposition and read it, and, well… that told me all I needed to know.”  
  
“What did it tell you?”  
  
“That you are either the bravest person I’ve ever met, or the stupidest.” Maggie wasn’t sure if she should be insulted by the description, coming from a woman who went hand-to-hand with aliens on a regular basis. “I also found that you are an honest cop and one of the good guys. Like I said, all I needed to know.”  
  
I think you’re a great cop. Maggie remembered Alex saying that to her, respect and even admiration clear in her voice, and Maggie had chalked it up to Alex’s burgeoning crush. Now, in hindsight, she wondered if Alex had been referring to Gotham as well as her restraint with Roulette. If so, it may have been yet another moment where Maggie had misread the agent.  
  
“Not everyone has the guts to take on corruption in Gotham. Especially as a rookie.”  
  
“Like you said, I was stupid.”  
  
“And brave,” Alex corrected swiftly. “According to the official reports, you helped bust a ring of crooked cops who were colluding with the Joker.”  
  
Maggie shrugged. Most of the cops she had helped bust had been out in less than a year, but she had already moved on by that point, or rather, had been forced to move on. The brass had given her a medal in public, and informed her that her kind of heroism was not tolerated on the force in private.  
  
“So what happened… with her?”  
  
Maggie stared at the table for a moment, wondering if it was a good idea to talk about her past with Alex. She resisted the impulse to stand and pace, so instead she toyed with the handgrip of the Glock and tried to gather her thoughts. “I put my principles first. I thought…” She took a little breath and it came out as a stuttered sigh. “I thought I could make a difference. I was barely a month in when I learned just how bad it was. My training officer… he… showed me exactly who the cops really worked for in Gotham.”  
  
For a moment, she was back there, on the shitty couch she had salvaged from the curb, her hand shaking as she brought a shot to her lips, hoping the alcohol would numb the anger and the growing sense of betrayal. “The corruption was so deep, so entrenched, but I was just out of the academy and I guess I was idealistic.”  
  
She risked a glance at Alex, who was listening intently. “I met Rona in the academy. We were inseparable, and we joined the PD together. I thought she… that maybe we….” She had been Rona’s first girl, and Rona had been her first love, and Maggie had been naive enough to believe it was forever, back before she learned that forever was a fairy tale.  
  
“But… she came from a family of cops. She’s a good cop, in her own way, but the blue line was not one she was willing to cross. I couldn’t look the other way, I just couldn’t. I should have just given up and transferred out, but instead I decided to try to be a hero. I guess I thought she would come around.”  
  
Maggie remembered those dark eyes staring at her in the courtroom, surrounded by a sea of blue, Rona’s family closing rank, as Maggie testified. One of the officers had been a distant cousin, and Rona had never forgiven her, nor had most of the department. Her identity had been protected until the trial, and afterwards, she had gotten out as quickly as possible, afraid to find herself without backup or worse while out on patrol.  
  
“What I did… destroyed the relationship. Not that there was much left those last couple of months. It took me a long time to understand that cops were always the good guys to her, no matter what they did.” Maggie tapped her fingers in front of her lightly, remembering the peace that realization had given her. “The rest, you, ah, probably know from my deposition.”  
  
Alex’s gaze had turned inward, a frown pulling at the corners of her mouth, as she returned to working on the rifle. “Not everybody has the courage of their convictions to do what you did.”  
  
“I don’t know about that. It just seemed like the right thing to do. It’s like what you guys do here, ‘Truth, Justice, and the American Way’ and all that.”  
  
“That’s Superman.” Alex started putting the rifle back together, her fingers dancing over the parts as she assembled the bolt.  
  
“That’s you.”  
  
“Not me.”  
  
“Please,” Maggie scoffed at Alex’s false modesty.    
  
Alex’s fingers stilled, and her dark eyes were intense when she met Maggie’s. “I’m no saint, Maggie. I’m no hero either.” Surprised by the vehemence in Alex’s voice, Maggie stared at the agent. “I’ve worked with enough heroes to know that.”  
  
“Alex…”  
  
“I’ve done my share of questionable things, things that, at the end of the day, I rationalize because the end result worked out.”  
  
“You’re not a dirty cop,” Maggie protested.  
  
“No, but if pushed, if it came to a choice between my principles and protecting the people I care about, I know what side of the line I’d be on.” Maggie opened her mouth to protest again, but Alex didn’t let her speak. “I’ve been over that line many times before, and I would make the same choices again. In a heartbeat. There’s a reason that I wear black and work in the shadows while Supergirl stands out in the light.”  
  
Alex lifted her chin defiantly as she finished speaking, but vulnerability shone in her eyes. It was almost like she was waiting for Maggie to condemn her, almost daring her to. Maggie wondered what haunted the other woman, what decisions she’d had to make, that made her doubt her own inherent goodness.  
  
Maggie tilted her head to the side, pulling Alex’s focus to her, and she watched Alex brace herself. “You are one of the good guys too, Alex,” she said quietly. “I don’t even need to read a deposition to know that. I’d bet my life on it.”  
  
Alex shook her head in curt denial as tears glistened at the corners of her eyes. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”  
  
“In fact, you’ve already saved my life with your ‘questionable’ methods. Or did you think I wouldn’t hear about how you went on a rampage at the bar when I got kidnapped by Scorcher?”  
  
“Pfffft, it wasn’t a rampage,” Alex said dismissively with a shake of her head.  
  
“You strangled someone with a bar stool.”  
  
“He was trying to extort money out of me and I didn’t have any cash. And I was in a hurry.”  
  
“Because you were trying to save me. You didn’t even call in a strike team, just your buddy Supergirl, before coming to my rescue.” Alex shrugged her shoulders, her teeth worrying her lower lip as a blush darkened her cheeks. Maggie didn’t mention the number of regulars who had come up to her afterwards to tell her how worried her girlfriend had been, nor the petition to ban Alex from the bar that M’gann had squashed. She especially didn’t mention how amazed she had been to hear how passionately Alex had described her after only knowing her for a day.  
  
“Well…” Anything Alex was going to say was cut off by her phone. “Danvers. Just down at the range. Yeah?” A dangerous smile curved her lips, matching the glint in her eyes. “Scramble two teams and have them on the tarmac in ten. We go in hot. And Susan, good work.”  
  
“If that’s the kingpin, I want in,” Maggie said as soon as Alex hung up. “I just passed my weapons cert, after all.”  
  
Alex stared at her with narrowed eyes for a second. “I guess you better suit up, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of domesticity in the DEO :)
> 
> Find me on Tumblr: zennie-fic


	6. Worth it

_Worth the Fight_  
 _I pray I will, I pray I might_  
 _Still be somebody worth the fight_  
  
Maggie found herself in a closet off the supply room, hurriedly slipping on a pair of BDUs and a black zip-up and strapping on her holster, moving fast because she was not completely convinced that Alex wasn’t going to lock her in the room to keep her out of danger. When the door actually opened and she found Alex standing outside, holding a tactical vest, she smiled in relief. Alex helped her into the vest, settling the considerable weight onto her shoulders and tugging on straps to tighten the fit. Maggie pulled her hair up into a ponytail as she followed Alex back to the armory to get a rifle, rolling her shoulders under the vest to get used to the weight. It was definitely heavier than her standard-issue from the PD.   
  
Several agents milled about, grabbing gear and weapons. Alex paused in the middle of the frenzy, letting the chaos die down around her, her mouth twisted in one of those thoughtful pouts. As the room cleared, she grabbed two Colt assault rifles off the rack, handing one to Maggie before slinging the other across her chest in a tactical carry. Maggie took a second to tighten the strap and adjust the sights, glancing up just in time to see Alex’s eyes sweeping down her body in an appreciative assessment.   
  
“Ready?” Alex didn’t wait for a reply; she just turned and headed out across the tarmac.  
  
“Do I look as badass as you?” Maggie asked as she jogged after Alex toward a small tram where other agents were embarking. Alex stuffed a helmet into her hands as they stepped on a second before a buzzer sounded somewhere above their heads.    
  
“Hold on,” Alex instructed, and Maggie caught the strap just in time as the tram accelerated down a dark tunnel. Alex leaned over, talking softly to keep from being overheard, her mouth an inch from Maggie’s ear. “You look good, but nobody is as badass as me.” Maggie’s stomach warmed at the husky tone in Alex’s voice, and she made the mistake of glancing to the side to see that dangerous glint back in Alex’s eyes, along with a cocky grin on her face, and all the air left Maggie’s lungs in a rush.    
  
Luckily, the tram slowed to a stop, saving her from making a fool of herself. They ended up on a helicopter pad, where techs scrambled to get the helicopters ready and agents onboard.   
  
“Alex!” A voice cut through the noise, and Maggie turned to see a gorgeous woman striding through the chaos toward them, her dark hair whipping around her head making her look like a model on a photo shoot. “You don’t call anymore, just show up to steal my toys.” She stopped in front of Alex, smirking, her hands on her hips.   
  
“Hey, Lucy,” Alex greeted with a smile.   
  
Maggie tilted her head to the side, watching as the woman’s eyes swept up and down Alex’s frame, obviously liking what she saw. It was equally obvious that Alex was completely oblivious to the effect she had.   
  
“You still owe me a drink, by the way. I intend to collect and soon.”   
  
“You have my number. Give me a call,” Alex replied smoothly, and Maggie glanced at her, impressed. Apparently Alex wasn’t bumbling and awkward around every beautiful woman, and Maggie wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.   
  
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” the woman said, her bright green eyes fixing on Maggie expectantly.  
  
“Oh, Lucy, this is Detective Maggie Sawyer, NCPD. Maggie, Director Lucy Lane, DEO.” Alex introduced them distractedly as an agent stepped up and spoke to her.  
  
Lucy cocked an eyebrow at Maggie, as if she recognized the name, and her eyes sharpened. “Nice to meet you,” she said, not meaning a word of it.  
  
“Same,” Maggie replied, equally cold.   
  
Lucy turned back to Alex. “You’re taking unauthorized personnel out with you now?”  
  
“She’s authorized if I say she is,” Alex replied shortly as the agent moved off, and Maggie caught the look of surprise that Lucy gave the taller woman. “My op, my personnel.” Alex tapped a comm. “Supergirl? Are you ready?”  
  
“Does Hank know about this?”  
  
“This is a joint up with the NCPD. I’m just facilitating interagency cooperation.”   
  
“That would be a first,” the other woman snorted, and Maggie marveled at how the conversation had gone from friendly to antagonistic so quickly. But given the daggers the other woman was shooting at her, Maggie had a good idea as to what Lucy’s issue was. Alex, on the other hand, was harder to read, and Maggie got a sense there was some history there she wasn’t privy to.   
  
Alex shrugged. “Wheels up in two, and unless you want to spend more time debating my decisions, we need to move.”   
  
“Your op, your personnel,” Lucy relented, but she didn’t look happy about it.   
  
Alex nodded sharply. “Director Lane.”  
  
“Agent Danvers.”  
  
“Come on, Detective.” Alex caught Maggie’s bicep and steered her under the blades of one of the helicopters. A tech helped Maggie into a seat, motioning to her to put her helmet on, and Alex hopped in beside her, securing her own helmet and snapping her rifle into a rack, her hand braced against the doorway as the copter lifted.   
  
Maggie was glad she had a strong stomach as they careened through valleys and hugged the terrain before the pilot lifted above the ridge and opened the throttle. After a few minutes, Alex pointed to a small patch of concrete beside what looked like an abandoned processing plant, one lone silo still standing among the ruins, and the helicopter headed down at a sickening rate.  
  
Maggie scrambled out of the chopper behind Alex, and the other agents spread out in formation around them. The copter lifted off, whipping dust and trash around them, and headed back the way they came. “Stay close,” Alex instructed. “Trap Two intercepted a convoy on the road, and they are driving it back this way. We think it’s our guy. Or alien.”  
  
As if on cue, a white cargo truck came roaring down the lane, heading directly for them. Alex stood her ground and fired round and round, other agents joining in the barrage, until the roar of the engine died barely half a football field away from her. Inertia drove the vehicle a few more feet before it rolled to a stop well short of the agent.   
  
For a long moment, nothing moved, and then all hell broke lose. The sidewalls of the truck burst apart and shredded, sending shrapnel in all directions, and Maggie caught Alex’s arm, pulling her down as she ducked. The alien they were chasing, the leader of the drug cartel, leaped down from the ruined truck bed and ran into the plant a second before Supergirl flew over their heads and headed in after him.   
  
Alex didn’t hesitate; she was up and following them before anyone else moved. Maggie scrambled to her feet, feeling the strain in her knees at the unfamiliar weight of the vest, and gave chase, getting to the door just as a large piece of machinery came spinning toward Alex. Maggie pushed her forward and out of the way at the last second, and it whirled over their heads before thudding into the wall behind them and crashing in front of the door, rattling the floor and cutting them off from the rest of the team.   
  
Her rifle in her hands, Alex headed toward the center of the plant, where Supergirl and the kingpin were trading blows. Maggie caught up with Alex, who for once was not rushing headlong into the fight. The alien was withstanding Supergirl’s punches, neither of them gaining the upper hand.   
  
Alex tapped her comm and directed agents to find other entrances as she jogged closer to the fight with Maggie at her shoulder. Supergirl flew at the kingpin, and he dodged, a heavy fist catching her and throwing her to the ground. Reversing direction, he charged at Maggie and Alex.   
  
Standing her ground, Alex raised her gun and fired, her bullets seeming to have little effect. Maggie stood at her shoulder, firing as the alien closed on them, her body almost twitching with the impulse to jump out of the way.   
  
“Now,” Alex ordered, her hand connecting with Maggie’s shoulder to give her a hard shove as she dodged to the other side. Maggie hit the ground, her rifle skidding out of her hands as the kingpin crashed into a column behind them. Alex already had her handgun out, on her back, shooting as he spun, a wild hand knocking her weapon aside.   
  
Maggie heard Alex grunt in pain and grab at her wrist as the alien rose above her. “Alex!” she yelled just as a heavy fist came down, pulverizing the concrete where Alex’s head had been a second before. Maggie’s fingers grabbed the knife on her vest, ripping it free, and she drove it as hard as she could into the alien’s foot, hoping it was as sensitive as a human’s.   
  
The roar from the alien seemed like a good indication, and Maggie pulled the blade out, feeling flesh rip. She raised it again, but the alien retreated from the fight, heading back to the center of the warehouse where Supergirl and a small group of DEO agents waited for him.   
  
“Alex? You okay?” Maggie asked as she pulled herself upright. Alex had rolled back into an upright position, shaking her arm out with a grimace, but she nodded. “Be care…” The admonishment died on Maggie’s lips as the sound of metal scraping against metal sounded above their heads.  
  
“Maggie!” Alex called a warning as the retaining column crumbled and the catwalk above them warped and broke free.   
  
“Kara!”  
  
Alex’s voice cut through the sounds of gunfire and shouts as she knelt by Maggie, her helmet and weapon abandoned as she tried to leverage the concrete column from where it had fallen and trapped Maggie’s leg. Maggie could taste blood on on her lip and her ears rung, and she didn’t remember falling or Alex rushing to her side.  
  
“I’m okay,” she croaked as Alex bent over her, checking for injuries, worry etched in every line on her beautiful face. Grabbing at the hands that were frantically running over her body, Maggie caught one and squeezed until Alex looked at her. “I’m okay,” she repeated.   
  
“Kara, I need you now!”  
  
Confused, Maggie squinted through the dust and smoke, blinking to try to clear her vision, and wondered what Alex’s little sister would be doing there in the middle of a battle, but she only saw Supergirl speeding toward them. It clicked then, as Supergirl stopped by Alex, the panic on her face fading to concern when she saw Alex unharmed. That makes so much sense, Maggie thought, through the fuzziness in her head.   
  
“Help Maggie,” Alex commanded, grabbing her weapon.    
  
“Wait, what… Alex!” But Alex had already jumped into a maintenance shaft set into the floor, landing into a hard three-point stance before sprinting away, firing to draw the alien after her as the agents formed on her and followed in pursuit.   
  
“Go after her,” Maggie coughed as she pushed against the column futilely before collapsing back to the ground.  
  
“She’ll kill me if anything happened to you.”  
  
“What do you think I’ll do if anything happens to her?”  
  
Supergirl didn’t really reply; she just muttered something that sounded suspiciously like ‘get a room’ under her breath as she caught the edge of the concrete and readied herself. “Can you pull yourself free when I lift? The concrete looks like it will shatter if I use too much force.” Maggie nodded, feeling grit and rocks tear into her hands as she braced against the floor. “On three.”  
  
The superhero leveraged the slab just enough to allow Maggie to scramble across the floor and get free, the stress causing the slab to crack and splinter. As soon as Maggie was free, Supergirl caught her under her arms and whisked her away, depositing her with a rearguard of DEO troops before heading off in the direction of weapon fire and, presumably, her sister.  
  
“Helicopter is on the way for an evac,” an agent told her as she lay on the ground, her leg and head throbbing in unison. She must have hit her head either in the fall or from a piece of debris, but the DEO helmet had done its job, mostly. “Just a couple more minutes.”  
  
Maggie could hear the rotors already, and the copter crested the trees a second later. “No. No evac. Not until everyone’s clear.”  
  
He shook his head as another agent directed the helicopter in to land. “Orders from Trap Leader,” he yelled as the roar got louder.   
  
Maggie recognized Alex’s call sign. “Where is Agent Danvers?”  
  
He shook his head, gesturing toward the plant. “In pursuit.”   
  
“I can…” she tried to insist, but she saw another agent being placed on the helicopter, a large bloody gash soaking through the bandages that had been hastily wrapped around his abdomen, before she was helped up, escorted over, and strapped in.   
  
Her seat gave her an aerial view of the plant, and a few muzzle flashes showed her where the fight raged in a parking lot, but she was too high to distinguish Alex from the other figures on the ground. The red of Supergirl’s cape stood out against the dull green and greys, and Maggie hoped she was looking over Alex since Maggie wasn’t there to do it herself.   
  
\---  
  
Maggie woke up with a start as the first rays of sunshine reached the DEO sick bay. Her eyes were gritty from dust and her head fuzzy from whatever they had pumped into her to help her sleep. Peeking under the covers, Maggie saw an odd compression device circling her injured leg, warm and vibrating almost in tune with her heart beat.   
  
Weird images from the night before flooded her head, and she looked to the chair in the corner of the room to double-check that Alex’s wasn’t sleeping there. Other dreams had been less pleasant, Alex’s bloody body lying amid rubble or the zipper of a body bag closing in front of her sightless eyes, stereotypical nightmares but no less potent to Maggie’s psyche.   
  
Shaking her head, she tried to clear the images but they lingered. Maggie couldn’t remember seeing Alex back at the DEO, and if they had given her the status updates she had demanded while they tried to treat her, she couldn’t remember them. That uncertainty, coupled with the nightmares, roiled her gut.   
  
Maggie leaned forward, trying to catch a glimpse of the lab, but her bed was badly positioned. She was about to rip the IV out of her arm when she caught sight of a silhouette with a familiar stride crossing in front of the windows, and the breath she didn’t know she was holding escaped her lungs.   
  
“There’s my girl,” she called as Alex crossed the threshold to the sick bay, and Alex’s eyebrows arched toward her hairline.   
  
“I thought the drugs would have worn off by now,” Alex commented dryly but with a small, shy smile.   
  
“Getting there. I think. I’m still feeling a little…” Maggie shook her head and winced as the pain at the back of her skull sharpened, “...disoriented. I had weird dreams,” Maggie confessed as she watched Alex pick up a tablet and study it, her hair falling forward to obscure her face as the morning sun sparkled the tips and brought out the red.  
  
Maggie’s finger came up to rest under her lips, blinking away tears as some formless emotion gripped her chest. “Well, everything looks good. I’ll…” Alex glanced up. “Maggie, you okay?”  
  
Swallowing past a lump in her throat, Maggie reached up and caressed Alex’s cheek, the skin warm and solid beneath wide brown eyes, looking at her questioningly. “Just wanted to check that you’re really here.” Her thumb stroked the cheekbone as her fingers curled under Alex’s jaw, and she had never seen Alex look so hopeful, nor so pained. “Sorry,” Maggie breathed as she let her hand drop. “Bad dreams.”   
  
Alex ducked her head, her hair obscuring her eyes again, and Maggie ached to sweep it back, ached for the pain she had unknowingly inflicted on Alex. “Sorry,” Maggie said again, the apology sounding lame to her own ears. She glanced out through the glass, glad nobody was watching them, that the early morning gave them a measure of privacy. It was bad enough she hurt Alex; she didn’t want to embarrass her with her colleagues as well.  
  
“It’s okay,” Alex lifted her head and met Maggie’s eyes, the pain tempered by understanding, and Maggie breathed a little easier, her lips quirking up into a small, fleeting smile.  
  
“Did you… you didn’t sleep here last night, did you?” Images of Alex, awkwardly curled up, her legs clutched to her chest and her head resting on her knees, came back, and Maggie wondered if Alex had spent the night as worried about her as she had been about Alex.  
  
“Um, no.” Alex’s response was quick, a little too quick. Maggie tilted her head, an eyebrow rising, but she let the denial stand. “You were lucky, by the way. That slab didn’t break any bones.”  
  
“I guess you were right. I didn’t belong out there.”  
  
“You saved my life.” Alex replied simply. Maggie didn’t know how to respond, so she didn’t even try. After a second, Alex sucked in a shaky breath, and when she spoke, her tone was almost clinical. “You took a hit on the helmet, and you have a contusion on the back of your head. No fractures or concussion. We put an experimental healing device on your leg to reduce bruising and swelling so you should be up and moving with minimal pain.”  
  
“It kinda tickles,” Maggie snarked.  
  
“I’ll take it off in a second. The doctors are worried about a clot near the injury that showed up on the scans. You were given a blood thinner and that should help reduce it, but you need to stay here under observation for a few hours and then we’ll check before you leave.”  
  
Maggie sighed, chafing at the need to stay at the DEO even longer. “So you got him?”  
  
Alex’s jaw tightened, and her eyes shifted away from Maggie’s. Something in the way Alex avoided looking at her told Maggie that things didn’t go exactly as planned. “Yeah,” she muttered thickly.  
  
Tilting her head, Maggie waited until Alex looked back, meeting haunted dark eyes with an small, encouraging nod. “You had to make the call?” she asked quietly, and Alex’s nose scrunched up and she swallowed, her head bobbing minutely.  
  
“I always have to make the call.” There was such strength and resolve and guilt wrapped up in those words. “I told you, I’m not a saint.”  
  
“You do it so nobody else has to.” This was the heart of who Alex was, taking the weight on her own shoulders to protect everyone else, to spare them the pain that she felt, and Maggie marveled at her.   
  
Alex’s head bobbed again, and she exhaled slowly. “Yeah.” Then Alex straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin, suddenly all business. “So you are in the clear as far as we can tell. You should be able to get out of here this afternoon.” Pulling a privacy curtain around them, Alex gestured at the blanket tucked around Maggie. “May I?”   
  
Maggie nodded, and Alex carefully folded the blanket back, exposing Maggie’s leg to the upper thigh. Alex quickly unstrapped the device, and Maggie sucked in a breath as the cold air hit her skin. Then she was sucking her lip between her teeth as a light touch on Maggie’s calf guided her leg up so Alex could slip it out from under her. “So Supergirl is your sister,” Maggie blurted out.   
  
“Ah, what? Um… why would… why would you say that?” Alex fingers froze as she was pulling the blanket back down. “Supergirl is… ah.”  
  
Maggie put a merciful end to Alex’s floundering. “You called her Kara. When you yelled for her in the factory.”  
  
“Damn.” Alex didn’t look pleased with herself as she unhooked the IV and removed the tape, a light pressure settling on Maggie’s arm as she smoothly extracted it. “Guess we’ll have to kill you now,” she joked.  
  
Maggie snorted. “I should have figured it out sooner. That thing where you gave her half of your sandwich, such a sister move.”  
  
“Well, she’s fooled a lot of people, so I guess we’ll give your detecting skills, or lack thereof, a pass. This time.”  
  
Maggie punched Alex’s shoulder lightly, and Alex smirked at her. She pulled a pair of scrubs from a cabinet and set them on the edge of the bed. “I figured you might want a shower. You should walk around, see how the leg feels, but stop if you feel dizzy and call me immediately, okay? I’m stepping out for coffee; you want something?”  
  
“I would kill for a quad shot flat white right now.”  
  
“I’ll see what I can do.”   
  
Maggie closed her eyes when Alex was gone, taking a deep breath and letting it out, as she tried to process her emotions. The lingering drugged hangover accounted for some of the turmoil in her guts, but not enough, not nearly enough. She had thought getting out of the DEO and taking a short break from seeing the other woman would calm the worst of it, but Maggie was starting to suspect nothing was going to get Alex Danvers out of her system.   
  
Sliding off the table, Maggie carefully put weight on her leg, glad to feel it sturdy under her. It wasn’t sore and putting on the scrubs didn’t cause any pain beyond the headache and tenderness at the back of her head. At least she got to go home today; that was something, although she couldn’t stifle a pang of disappointment at the thought of not being in the same space as Alex.  
  
\---  
  
Alex had come through with the coffee, although she had dropped it off with Maggie and disappeared instead of lingering. Left to her own devices, Maggie had stalked all of Alex’s usual spots under the guise of doctor’s orders without a glimpse.   
  
Finally, she found herself heading down that long corridor toward the boxing gym, slipping into the observation room like she did before. It seemed like ages ago, but it had only been four days. Alex and Supergirl sparring had been about strength, power, and perimeter strategy, but Henshaw fighting with Alex was all about speed. The two of them stayed close, throwing punches and parrying, knees and elbows flying but rarely landing. It looked choreographed, the way Henshaw would slip under a devastating hook or Alex would slide past a hard left at just the right moment.  
  
A flash of red and blue reflected off the glass, alerting Maggie that she was no longer alone in the observation room. A second later, the ghostly image of Supergirl appeared beside Maggie’s reflection, her arms crossed over her chest and an uncharacteristic frown on her face. “You don’t know my sister very well.”  
  
“Well enough,” Maggie replied evenly, the muscles in her shoulders tensing at the hard edge in other woman’s voice.   
  
“You didn’t even know she was sister until yesterday.”   
  
Maggie shrugged, trying not to let Supergirl see the knowledge stung, and kept her eyes on the sparring. Alex blocked a foot strike and threw a hard right at Henshaw’s stomach. They broke apart and circled, and when Henshaw closed, this time, Alex made him pay for it, throwing him over her hip so he landed on his back.   
  
“She’s the toughest of us all,” Supergirl continued, conversationally. “Such strength with no superpowers to protect her. I’ve lost track of the times she’s stepped between me and danger because she thinks it’s her job to protect me.” The Girl of Steel’s eyes were fixed on her sister as she squared up with Hank once again, sweat plastering her hair to her forehead.   
  
“She was fourteen when I came to live with her family, and her whole world got turned upside down. She’s been my sister, my protector, my…” Supergirl’s fond smile floated in the glass, “my superhero ever since.” The smile dimmed, and then was gone. “But it’s been hard for her. I didn’t realize it at the time, but she had to shoulder so much… responsibility. So much pain. Eliza was hard on her, Jeremiah was gone, and I clung to her, so scared, so out of place, so alien. There was never any room for her.”  
  
The sadness in Kara’s voice made Maggie’s heart ache, and Kara paced behind Maggie, her cape swishing behind her. “She always feels second best. That’s my fault. She’s amazing, but I eclipsed that, with my powers and my newness. She tried to compete, at first, and then she stopped trying and resigned herself to being my protector, my guide.” Maggie could hear the tears in Kara’s voice, could tell how much the superhero cared for Alex, could tell how much she hurt for past mistakes.  
  
“It’s like she stopped feeling special, stopped feeling like she mattered.” Kara sighed. “I’ve never seen her put her feelings first, her happiness first. Except with you.”   
  
“She told you.” There was quiet accusation in Maggie’s voice.  
  
“She didn’t want to. Wouldn’t even let me in her apartment.” Supergirl huffed out a breath. “Luckily I can fly. I…. I never saw her like that, never in my life.” The pacing stopped, and haunted blue eyes reflected in the glass over Maggie’s shoulder. “She always protected me, hid her struggles and heartbreak from me, and the one time she didn’t, I couldn’t help.”  
  
“I didn’t mean to hurt her. That was the last thing I wanted to do.”  
  
“I know.” The superhero didn’t accuse, and her voice held a note of understanding. “But you did. The only person who puts her first is me, and as fiercely as she protects me, I will protect her.” Kara caught Maggie’s eye in the glass and held it for a long moment, long enough for Maggie to bristle at the insinuation.    
  
“Why do I feel like I just got the talk?”  
  
“Because you did.”  
  
“We’re not even dating.”  
  
“And whose fault it that?”  
  
The truth lay open and exposed between them, and Maggie sucked in a breath, trying to form the words to defend herself. But there were none. “We’re just…”  
  
“Friends, yes, I know.” The superhero sighed and looked away. “She deserves more than that. She deserves to be happy. She deserves to be put first, the way she does for everyone else. Last year, when I… when I flew into space… I made her promise me. To do all the things being my sister kept her from doing. Find love. Be happy.” Maggie heard the guilt in Kara’s voice, and it resonated deep in her guts. “I still want that for her. If she can’t find that with you, you need to tell her and let her move on.”  
  
Kara drifted toward the door, but she watched as Maggie digested the information, as if waiting for her to speak.   
  
“I care about her. A lot,” Maggie whispered, the words breaking free of their own accord. “She’s become really important to me... and I… I can’t… lose that. Staying friends…” Maggie choked on the word, suddenly hating it and it all it stood for, and she couldn’t continue past the lump in her throat.   
  
The tenderness in Kara’s voice was like a blow. “When Alex came out to me, I understood, because I remembered what it like when I tried to deny who I was, how shut off and lonely that felt. I imagine settling for a relationship you think can have rather than the one you really want is a lot like that.”  
  
For a long second, Kara held her gaze through the reflection in the glass. “Thank you for protecting her out there.”  
  
With that, she left. Maggie waited for a few more moments, taking deep, measured breaths to compose herself, before following, knowing that if she looked into Alex’s eyes right now, she would shatter into a thousand pieces.  
  
\---  
  
Maggie drifted around the DEO for another couple of hours, using the windows to her advantage to avoid the dark-haired agent, until she got a text from Alex telling her that the doctor was ready to check her leg. Maggie wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed Alex wasn’t there, just the doctor from the night before.   
  
He puttered around, taking his time to take a blood sample, examine the injury site, and run a scan of her leg. Maggie only half-paid attention to him as she kept watch out the glass for Alex, but the other woman never showed. With a gentle admonishment to be more careful, the doctor gave her a clean bill of health and sent her on her way.   
  
Late afternoon sunlight slanted through the windows as Maggie passed by Alex’s lab, where Supergirl and Alex were deep in an animated discussion, the sunny smile back on the superhero’s face as she joked with her sister. Alex leaned against a table, one hand splayed across her hip, the other gesturing as she fought to keep a straight face at something Kara was saying.  
  
The grin Alex had been holding back finally broke through, but it was directed at Maggie over Kara’s shoulder. Kara turned, and her smile slipped for a brief moment. Maggie waved, and would have kept going and left the sisters to their conversation, but Alex gestured for her to join them in the lab.  
  
“Hey Maggie, sorry, I was going to meet you in the sick bay but…” she waved toward her equipment, “I messed up a sample and had to run this analysis again.” The bashful expression told Maggie that didn't happen very often. “Next time, I won’t let this one distract me.”  
  
“Don’t even try to blame me. You screwed that up all on your own.”   
  
They were cute together, their bond, the years they spent together showing clearly, and Maggie couldn’t believe she’d missed the dynamic. “You’re just lucky I love you,” Alex teased as she leaned over a microscope, but hearing those words, even directed at someone else, froze Maggie in place.   
  
“No, you’re just lucky you bribe me with potstickers and donuts on a regular basis.”  
  
“Is that it?”   
  
“Oh, shoot, I have to go. I have an edit…. A meeting. Like a superhero meeting. Totally not like a regular meeting, like with regular people. At a workplace. Or anything like that. Okay, bye.” Kara hurried out of the lab and disappeared around a corner.   
  
“She does know that I know about her job as a reporter, right?”  
  
Alex shrugged and perched on the edge of her chair. “I told her, but who knows? Maybe she forgot.” A beep sounded behind Alex, and she turned, fussing with a tray of samples, her lips pouting as the plastic refused to slide neatly into a slot.   
  
“I should, ah, let you get back to work.”   
  
Alex’s eyes were narrowed at the machine, and Maggie wasn’t sure she even heard. Then Alex’s lips quirked into a self-deprecating frown, like she was annoyed with herself about something. “You get clearance to go home?” The question seemed innocuous, but Alex’s shoulders betrayed a sudden tension.  
  
“Yeah, a little while ago. I was just going to get my stuff.”  
  
“You need a ride?”   
  
Maggie hesitated, inhaling slowly, and Alex started to turn away, like she was trying to deflect a blow. Suddenly, Maggie was tired of causing Alex pain, tired of watching Alex try to hide her emotions to protect Maggie. The way Maggie felt when she looked at Alex was ten times more scary than a few days ago, but a hundred times more real. Whatever this was, it was worth it, she realized. Alex was worth it.  
  
It felt a little like stepping off a cliff when Maggie replied, “I’d… like that. Maybe… we could order in some dinner? I think I owe you one. Or several.”  
  
“You sure you aren’t tired of hanging out with me?” Alex swiveled around, and Maggie could see a small, pleased smile teasing at the edges of her lips.   
  
“Never.” The word came out more emphatically than Maggie intended, and she backpedalled swiftly. “So long as you aren’t tired of me, I mean.”  
  
The smile on Alex’s face was still tainted by sadness, like she was learning to accept she was never going to have what she wanted with Maggie, like she was resigning herself to being Maggie’s friend. But she repeated Maggie’s assertion with just as much emphasis. “Never.”


	7. From Inside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _So fill me up and let me try_   
>  _To show you beauty from inside_

Maggie pulled out several take-out menus and fanned them out across the kitchen island, acutely aware of Alex behind her, standing in her apartment, taking in her space. “Here’s your options. Look through these and let me know. The Thai place is good, if you like that.” Maggie knew she was talking a little too fast, betraying her nerves. She had suggested this not just because she wanted more time with the agent, craving her presence like an addict, but so she and Alex could talk.

Now that Maggie had Alex alone, she was struggling to start a conversation, and not sure what she truly wanted to say. Swinging around, she flashed Alex a big smile. “I feel like I’ve been wearing the same clothes for days, so I’m going to take a quick shower and change, ok? You need anything?” It consoled her, a little bit, that Alex seemed as unsure and awkward as she felt, standing just inside the door and looking around like she didn’t know what to do with herself.

Shaking her head, Alex stepped up and started looking through the menus. “I’m good.” She had changed into a loose fitting pair of jeans and a soft-looking red sweater, and Maggie felt dingy in comparison with her crumpled t-shirt and the jeans she had worn the day before.

“If you like the Thai place, you can go ahead and order. I get the red curry with chicken, medium spice, and jasmine rice.”

“Okay.”

Maggie hurried into her bedroom, kicking the door shut and pulling her shirt over her head before remembering that she hadn’t even offered Alex anything to drink. Groaning, Maggie poked her head out the door. “There’s beer in the fridge and a bottle of wine on the counter.”

Alex’s eyes widened, and Maggie realized she hadn’t put her shirt back on. “Ah, help yourself,” she stammered as Alex’s eyes flitted over her, and she wasn’t sure she was talking about beverages anymore.

“I will,” Alex promised, her voice lower than normal.

“I’ll be out in a minute.”

Maggie took a quick shower, throwing on an old, threadbare pair of jeans and a college sweatshirt and blowing her hair out quickly so she didn’t drip water everywhere. When she stepped back out, it took her a moment to locate Alex, standing quietly at a bookshelf, tucked away in the corner with the recliner Maggie considered her reading nook.

Alex was scanning her books with an amused smile. “You have a lot of science fiction novels for someone who keeps insisting she’s not a nerd.”

Folding her arms, Maggie leaned against the bookshelf. The sun bathed Alex in a warm orange glow through the windows as it started to set, and Alex was breathtaking in the light. “I’m a geek, Danvers, not a nerd. There’s a difference,” Maggie teased.

“Yeah, what’s that?”

“Well, for one thing, geeks are cooler.”

That earned her a laugh from Alex and an exaggerated roll of her eyes. Turning, Alex leaned against the bookshelf herself, mirroring Maggie’s pose. “You think you are cooler than me?” she asked, her voice mock-challenging.

“I don’t make the rules.”

“A lot of these are old,” Alex observed, her fingers drifting over the bent and broken spines of the paperbacks.

“I got a lot in high school, after I read almost everything in the town library.”

Alex stared at her, questions in her eyes, but she didn’t push. That patience again, showing interest and concern, clearly wanting to know more but willing to let it go if Maggie didn’t want to talk. It was a technique Maggie employed herself, but she had rarely had it turned back on her, especially with her girlfriends. They had always entreated her to share, demanded access to her thoughts, but so rarely let her choose her own time or manner in which to speak.

“What can I say?” Maggie exhaled slowly as she choose her words. “I was a little too weird or too gay or too non-white for small-town Nebraska. Growing up, I… I didn’t have a lot of friends.” Maggie shrugged, trying to throw off the emotions that welled up, memories of isolation, of loneliness. Her childhood had made her strong, but that strength had come with a price. “I took escapes where I could, especially in books and our tiny town library.”

The sun had gone down completely, and streetlights blinked on, the dull light just enough to make out the slight tightening of Alex’s jaw, the care in those warm brown eyes. Maggie didn’t know how Alex seemed to get her, to see under the surface, but she could tell Alex was filling in the blanks of what she didn’t say.

Alex looked like she wanted to go back and comfort that younger Maggie, and she chose the next best thing. There was a softness in her movement as Alex reached up and played with a stray curl of Maggie’s hair, running it between her fingers before letting it go to spring back. “You have nice hair,” she chuckled, a little self-consciously.

Maggie swallowed roughly as Alex’s fingers drifted up again, and it took all of her willpower to keep from turning her cheek into Alex’s palm and feeling the warmth against her skin.

A knock at the door had them springing apart. “Oh, I ordered. The Thai food,” Alex stuttered. “I forgot, that’s probably the delivery.”

Maggie made her way to the door, swiping her jacket off a chair to get her wallet, and took a deep breath to steady herself before she opened the door. She chatted with the usual delivery guy for a few minutes while she paid, hearing Alex moving around the kitchen, opening the bottle of wine, setting plates out on the table. She had never been big on domestic togetherness in relationships, but something about Alex in her kitchen felt right. Felt like home.

“Hungry?” she asked as she closed the door, a heavy bag in her hands.

“Yeah. I love Thai food, but Kara insists on Chinese because of the potstickers. And I kind of skipped lunch.”

Alex poured wine as Maggie set the takeout containers on the table, scooping rice and chicken onto their plates. “So that’s why I didn’t get lunch delivered today? No offense, but the cafeteria at the DEO is worse than the one at the precinct.”

“Next time, I’ll make sure you get fed,” Alex quipped as she sat down.

“It was a shocking dereliction of duty after everything you’ve done for me over the last few days. Seriously, thank you.”

“Happy to,” Alex replied with a shrug like it was no big deal, and she took a sip of wine, hiding behind the glass for a moment before setting it down and picking up her fork. “So… _Star Wars_ or _Star Trek_?” When Maggie raised an eyebrow at her, Alex laughed. “I need to know what kind of geek I’m dealing with here.”

“ _Star Wars_. I mean, lightsabers? Nothing could compete with that. You?”

“Same.”

“I did watch _Voyager_ , though. Couldn’t resist a female captain.”

“You like a woman in command, huh?”

“Sometimes,” Maggie responded with a grin and a provocatively-cocked eyebrow, watching a small blush creep up Alex’s cheeks. “ _Buffy_ or _Xena_?” she asked.

“ _Buffy_.”

“Let me guess, you liked Faith.”

“Well, I didn't know it at the time, but looking back, maybe, yeah…” Alex ducked her head as the blush deepened, and Maggie chuckled. Catching her lip between her teeth, Alex raised her head and caught Maggie’s eyes, holding her gaze. “Long brown hair, deep dark eyes, wears leather well… what’s not to like?”

For a moment, Maggie couldn’t breathe as something almost predatory glittered in Alex’s eyes, and she distracted herself by pouring more wine into her glass and taking a long drink. She wasn’t sure where flirty Alex had come from all of a sudden, but she was sure it going to be the death of her. “So was _Xena_ more your thing?” Alex asked after a beat.

“I watched them both.”

“Of course you did.”

Maggie realized she had devoured half her dinner already, and the food, the wine, and the company were conspiring to bring down her last remaining defenses. Not that she had many left. “I should… stop eating. Before I burst. Wanna—”

“I should go…” Alex was already halfway out of her chair.

“—hang out a little longer?” Alex froze as Maggie finished her sentence, suddenly looking spooked. “The least you can do is help me drink more of this wine, Danvers.”

Maggie grabbed the bottle and their glasses and headed to the couch. Flipping on the table lamp, she turned to find Alex staring at her warily from beside the table. For a moment, Maggie’s heart sank as she thought Alex would leave, and her lips twitched into a shy, uncertain smile as she waited for Alex to make a decision. The muscles in Alex’s throat moved as she swallowed, the tension between them growing into an almost physical presence.  

Alex finally moved into the living room, pausing beside Maggie just long enough before sitting down that Maggie thought Alex might kiss her again, and she couldn’t hold back the disappointment that swept through her when she didn’t. Snagging their glasses from the coffee table, Maggie passed Alex hers before getting comfortable. “So what are you going to do now that you don’t have to babysit me all day?”

Alex frowned at the description, her fingers toying with the fringe on the blanket thrown over the back of the couch. “It wasn’t like that. I’m just glad you are okay.”

“At least I got some of your primo Scotch out of it.”

“See, it wasn’t all bad.”

“It was kind of nice, actually, seeing you in your natural habitat.”

Alex snorted. “Natural habitat? You make it sound like the DEO is a habitrail.”

“You know what I mean. In your element.” Maggie inhaled slowly as she tried to figure out how to bring the conversation around to the tension rising between them. She didn’t have Alex’s directness, or way with words, and she felt decidedly unprepared. “There’s a lot I don’t know about you, Danvers.”

“What do you want to know? Just ask.”

There was a hint of challenge in Alex’s voice, in her eyes. “So what was going on with you and that Director Lane yesterday?” Maggie asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, for one thing, she was flirting with you.”

“She was not.” Alex looked shocked at the insinuation.

“Yes, she was. And I’ll bet she’ll call you to try to set up that drink this weekend.”

Alex laughed, incredulous. “That’s crazy. Lucy was not flirting with me.”

Rolling her eyes, Maggie grinned at Alex’s disbelief. “No wonder it took you so long to come out, Danvers. You’ve probably had girls throwing themselves at you for years, and you were completely oblivious to it.”

“You really think she was flirting?” Alex asked, and Maggie nodded. “Huh.”

“But you were definitely not flirting. You seemed annoyed, and not just about making sure I got to go on the op. Which I appreciate, by the way.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Come on, tell, Danvers.” Maggie nudged her leg with her foot. “I can tell there’s a story in there. What did she do? Steal your lunch from the DEO fridge? Use your favorite gun and not clean it?”

Alex snorted in amusement before taking a long sip of her wine. She looked at Maggie over the rim with narrowed eyes. “You really want to know?” Maggie nodded eagerly, and Alex shook her head, her mouth a crooked smile. “She, ah, had me arrested for treason and sent me off to be a lab experiment at Cadmus.”

Maggie’s eyes bugged, and she knew her mouth was hanging open, and Alex raised her glass, swirling the last of the liquid there. “I could use some more wine, you want some more?” Alex shifted and sat up, leaning over the coffee table as if she were entirely focused on pouring.

“Wait, what? _Arrested_? For _treason_?”

“Yup.”

“No way. You are putting me on.” Maggie leaned forward to see Alex’s face, trying to read her expression. “Aren’t you? You wouldn’t be here if you had really been charged with treason.”

Alex eased back to a comfy position on the couch, taking a sip of her wine and gazing at Maggie mischievously over the rim. “It was more a Gitmo kind of thing than a formal trial.” Maggie was shaking her head emphatically, refusing to believe the other woman. “Had me in shackles and everything,” Alex expanded with a wry smile.

“Shackles.”

“Like the dangerous criminal I was.” It was said as a joke, but something in Alex’s voice was starting to penetrate, an undertone of anger under the lighthearted words, and Maggie found herself starting to believe the crazy story, despite it being completely beyond credibility.

“But it, it was all a misunderstanding, right?”

“Oh, no, I was guilty.”

“Of _treason_?” Maggie still couldn’t get her head around that.

“Their definition, not mine.” Alex shrugged, and Maggie marveled at how casual she seemed about it all. “I either betrayed the DEO or someone close to me. I made my choice.”

Maggie nodded, finally understanding. If she had learned anything over the last few days, it was the kind of person Alex was, where her loyalties lie and the lengths to which she would go to protect those close to her. To Alex, it probably hadn’t been a choice at all.

“And you were shipped off to Cadmus?” Maggie asked, and Alex nodded. “But here you are.”

“Well, Supergirl convinced Lucy to help locate us before we ended up as lab experiments.”  
Maggie frowned at the mention of the superhero. She thought that, if Alex was going to commit treason for anyone, it would have been for her sister. But she had, if her tale was to be believed, been willing to sacrifice herself for someone else. “So Lucy helped with the rescue, but I haven’t quite forgiven her for the arrest.”

“I can see that.” Maggie was surprised by the feeling of relief that swept through her, knowing that the beautiful DEO director had a ways to go to get on Alex’s good side. “I’m still not sure I believe this story, Danvers.”

Alex shrugged, but her eyes were warm and laughing. “What about you? I’m sure you’ve seen some crazy stuff as a cop.”

“You could say that. The weirdest was Gotham. It was like every kid there grew up wanting to be a superhero or supervillain. I swear, I busted teens every week trying to build some freeze ray or laser to break into the criminal underground.” Maggie scooted and got more comfortable, reclining against the armrest so her feet were up on the couch. She could still see Alex over her knees, Alex’s elbow on the back of the couch, her head resting in her hand, her nose scrunched up adorably.

“But even worse were the superhero wannabes, hanging flashlights and ammo pouches on their belts and running around town trying to find crime to stop. As a cop in Gotham, you spent more time driving kids home to their parents and explaining why little Timmy ended up on the southside of town in his pajamas with an umbrella trying to stop a robbery.” Maggie deliberately kept the focus on the funnier episodes, loving the light in Alex’s eyes as she regaled her with stories of dumb criminals and elaborate criminal plots done in for the silliest of reasons.

Alex pointed with her wine glass. “Now you are making up stories, Detective Sawyer. There’s no way he would have sent a letter to the cops _before_ he robbed the bank.”

“I swear, when he was arrested, he said, and I quote, ‘I thought mail was slower than that.’ The letter was postmarked a week before the robbery was supposed to take place! Luckily, he had an apartment full of guns and explosives, and it violated his parole or else we would have had a hard time making the arrest stick.”

A comfortable silence descended over them, and Maggie couldn’t remember the last person she enjoyed spending time with as much as Alex. Half-measures were not going to cut it, or a friendship where she might become a third wheel when Alex started dating… even the hypothetical felt like a stab to her heart. Maggie would resent the hell out of anyone who took Alex’s time or attention away from her, except for maybe Kara. Maybe.

“What?” Alex asked softly, and Maggie knew she was probably staring at Alex like a lovesick fool.

“You’re fun, Danvers,” she complimented, and Alex scoffed, her eyes rolling, but she looked pleased. “You, ah, want to watch a movie or something? You probably need a full introduction to the lesbian movie ourve.”

“I don’t like romantic comedies very much.”

“You’ll like these.”

“Oh, I will, will I?”

“Trust me.” Maggie stood and shuffled through her DVDs, pulling a few out. “Here, look through these while I put the leftovers away.”

Maggie cleaned up the table and loaded the dishwasher, storing the leftovers in plastic containers before returning to the living room to find Alex asleep, her head nestled in the crook of her elbow where it rested on the back of the couch. Soft light played over her features, smoothed by sleep, and Maggie had a moment of pure panic at the thought that this beautiful woman cared about her, wanted to be with her.

She wasn’t sure what she had done to deserve such luck, but she knew this thing between them was worth the fight to make it real, to keep it going when things got difficult and stressful and complicated. Alex was worth it, and Maggie hoped she was too, that Alex never stopped wanting her in her life. This was a once-in-a-lifetime, a first and last and everything in between, and as scared as she was, Maggie needed to try.

Alex’s eyelashes fluttered, and her eyes opened. “Hey, sleepyhead,” Maggie breathed, settling down on the couch beside her.

“Maggie,” Alex whispered, a sleepy soft smile on her face, and Maggie’s heart twisted. “Sorry, I fell asleep on you.”

“That wasn’t just a dream. You really did sleep in my room last night.”

Alex scoffed and looked away. “No!”

“Yeah, you did.” Maggie caught Alex’s chin in her fingers and rubbed her thumb across Alex’s cheek as their eyes met. “Thanks for looking out for me.”

Alex’s gaze darted to Maggie’s lips before fixing on her eyes again, a veil of sadness lowering. “I should…”

Tightening her hold before Alex could bolt, Maggie pulled Alex closer, her head tilting back and eyes closing as she captured those soft lips with hers. Alex stiffened, and, for a long moment, all of Maggie’s fears rushed back, but then Alex melted into it, into her, her fingers wrapping around Maggie’s bicep to draw her closer. It was almost magical, like one of those perfect kisses in some sappy romance, and Maggie never wanted it to end.

When they broke apart, slowly, reluctantly, Maggie didn’t know what to do with her hands, afraid if she touched Alex again, she might not be able to stop, so she dropped them awkwardly to her lap. Alex was searching her face, the expression on her face guarded but hopeful, like she was afraid to believe what just happened.

“What changed?” Alex asked quietly.

“Nothing.” Maggie let out a shaky breath, her fingers twisting and knitting. “I...  like you, Alex. A… a lot.”

“So why… friends?” The question was gentle, more gentle than it should have been given the pain that it had caused.

Maggie exhaled slowly, her eyes fixed on Alex’s. “I don’t meet many people I care about. And I care about you. More than…” The word anything hung on the tip of her tongue, but she wasn’t ready to confess that, not yet. “I thought, and I guess I was kind of right, that you came out for me. And that… scared me. I didn’t want… I was afraid, that after all the excitement died down, after the newness wore off, you’d realize that I’m not… not…”

Alex reached out and parted her hair as Maggie’s words stumbled to a stop, her fingers sliding through the curls and softly grazing Maggie’s skin. “But you are. I came out because it wasn’t just some concept… it was about my feelings for this amazing woman.” Maggie’s eyes dropped to stare at her hands, but Alex raised her chin to make sure Maggie heard the words. “You’re tough and smart and… beautiful.” Alex drew Maggie in, pressing a light kiss to her lips. “Just… so beautiful,” she whispered.

“I’m still scared,” Maggie confessed when she could form coherent sentences again.

“Me too.”

“I can’t imagine my life without you in it, and I thought... being friends was… my best shot, the best way, you know? I’m not great at relationships and I don’t want to screw this up, but something your sister said…”

“Kara? Said something? To you? I’m going…”

“No, it was sweet. She just made me realize that, sometimes, safer isn’t always better, that sometimes the risk is worth it.” Unable to resist the urge any longer, Maggie raised her hand and slid her knuckle along Alex’s cheekbone, sucking in a breath as Alex turned her head just enough to brush a kiss on the back of her hand, her eyes never leaving Maggie’s. “You’re worth it.”

A beautiful, charmed smile spread across Alex’s face, and Maggie couldn’t believe she’d managed to hold out even this long. She wasn’t sure who closed the distance first, but their lips met again. Maggie poured everything she felt for Alex into it, and Alex kissed her back with equal fervor.

Alex pushed Maggie back against the cushions without breaking the connection of their lips, melding their bodies together. Lifting her head, Alex searched Maggie’s face. “Is this okay?” she asked, the expression in her eyes almost bashful while her fingers stroked a bare swath of skin at Maggie’s waist.

Chuckling, Maggie brushed Alex’s hair behind her ear before nodding, curling around the back of Alex’s head to urge her down. Soft kisses turned to more, the heat that had been teasing between them since that first moment on the airport tarmac sparking to life.

At first, Maggie touched Alex carefully, delicately, stroking the broad muscles of Alex’s back through her sweater, her hands tangling in her hair as they kissed. Alex had no such compunctions, her fingers sliding under Maggie’s sweatshirt to tease the skin along her stomach and gliding over her hips. It was delicious torture, those provocative shy touches at once too much and not enough.

Her control shredded when Alex slipped her thigh between Maggie’s, moving her hips experimentally. Maggie arched into Alex, and she felt Alex smile against her lips. She broke the kiss to nuzzle at Alex’s neck before nipping at the skin, and it was her turn to smile as Alex gasped, her movements slowing as Maggie tasted her skin and blew into her ear. Turning her head, Alex kissed Maggie deeply, with a hunger that made Maggie squirm and grind against her body.

“Should we....” Maggie gasped out, trying to control herself, her hand braced against Alex’s shoulder, “should we slow down? I….”

“I want you.” Alex’s eyes were black with desire, and Maggie fought the urge to lose herself in them, shifting so she could get into a sitting position while Alex did the same. Maggie missed Alex’s heat immediately, and the look of disappointment in Alex’s eyes was almost her undoing.

“We should probably go out on a date or something,” Maggie suggested, trying to will her body to behave. She needed to do this right, to treat Alex like she deserved to be treated.

“So we can make small talk over appetizers? Get to know each other?” Alex asked with an edge to her voice, and Maggie had to concede that point. They still had a lot to learn about each other, but dinner at a fancy restaurant seemed incredibly unnecessary. Still, it was about the rituals, the courtship, letting Alex know how special she was.

Maggie reached out and ran her fingers along Alex’s jaw and over her cheekbones, and Alex turned her head, pressing a kiss to Maggie’s palm, her tongue darting out to tease. “I just don’t want to rush you. This is new…”

“Don’t…” Alex stopped her with a firm finger against her lips. “Don’t take care of me. I’m not a child you need to coddle.”

“Or a baby duck?”

Alex looked at her like she was crazy, but she didn’t ask. Instead, she stood up, and for a second, Maggie thought she was going to leave. Instead, she held out her hand, watching Maggie with dark intent in those brown eyes, waiting for Maggie to make a decision.

Something passed between them, and Maggie took a deep breath. She was going to have to learn to say ‘no’ to this woman. Someday, but not tonight. She placed her hand in Alex’s and let Alex tug her to her feet. “We’re doing this all backwards, Danvers.”

“That sounds about right. I liked you before I even knew I liked girls,” Alex said with a lopsided smile.

Maggie tried one last time. “We should take this slow…” But Alex pulled their bodies together, an arm sliding around Maggie’s waist to hold her close as she kissed her soundly, reminding Maggie of the way Alex had taken control of their first kiss. Brave, reckless, and naive, rushing headlong into an unknown without a second thought. It was a kiss that was purely Alex, and Maggie didn’t have any defenses to that.

So she returned the kiss, slid her hand under Alex’s sweater, and scraped her fingernails across the soft skin at the small of her back, reveling in the way Alex’s hold on her tightened and her attention seemed to falter. Maggie did it again, a little harder, and was rewarded with another gasp and the loss of Alex’s lips as Alex dropped her head to rest on Maggie’s shoulder.

Maggie nibbled her way up Alex’s neck to her ear as Alex held on helplessly, her hands fisting in the back of Maggie’s sweatshirt. When Maggie blew in her ear, Alex shivered, her whole body trembling and twitching as Maggie teased with her tongue. A wave of heat flowed through Maggie, and she was suddenly impatient to have Alex arched and aching under her fingers, under her tongue.

They fumbled with clothing as Maggie backed Alex toward the bedroom. Alex managed to get Maggie’s jeans halfway down her legs before Maggie stepped out of them, her own fingers pulling at Alex’s jeans and sliding them down her thighs, brushing past a scar and making note to explore it later.

They paused just inside the doorway, and Maggie tilted her head back to meet Alex’s eyes. The raw need in those depths was a mirror to her own, and she sucked in a shaky breath as she realized this was happening. “You sure?” she asked.

“Are you?” Alex asked in reply, but she didn’t give Maggie a chance to reply, pulling her in for another rough kiss. “I’ll be okay,” she promised against Maggie’s lips.

Maggie broke the kiss and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You did research for this, didn’t you? Did you get a few books from the library? Do some google searches? Check out some porn?”

“Not porn.”

“But the other stuff?” Alex blushed under her gaze, and Maggie chuckled. “Nerd. Should I give you a quiz?”

Alex dipped her head, her tongue sliding out to tease the sensitive skin of Maggie’s neck before she whispered into Maggie’s ear, “You want to know something about me, Sawyer?”

Maggie shivered. “What?”

“I’m good at tests, but I _always_ aced my practicals,” Alex purred before she pushed Maggie back, toppling her onto the bed. She stood at the foot, a confident smirk on her face and her hands on her hips.

“Nerd,” Maggie teased again.

“Yeah, but I’m your nerd.”

Maggie grabbed her sweater and pulled Alex down on top of her. “Get down here,” she growled. Alex landed on her with a soft exhalation, and Maggie wasted no time, rolling them over, parting Alex’s thighs with her own, teasing Alex’s lips apart with her tongue in a hungry kiss. They fought for dominance, Alex’s hands roaming her body with abandon, her hips grinding into Maggie.

The kisses slowed, movements became less hurried but more intense. Finally, Maggie sat up, looping her legs over Alex’s thighs, and pulled Alex up. Alex’s tousled hair caught the faint light coming in from the street, and Maggie smoothed it back with a smile. Alex watched her, trusting as Maggie caught the hem of her sweater, her fingers brushing over Alex’s ribs and causing her breath to catch, and pulled it up and off. There was a glimmer of doubt in Alex’s eyes as she tried to read Maggie’s expression, and Maggie swallowed past the emotions that welled up and threatened to bring tears to her eyes. “Beautiful,” she breathed.

Maggie met Alex’s searching gaze with an angelic smile, so full of awe at this woman she almost couldn’t believe it. So beautiful and brave, and looking at her with such insecurity and hesitation. Knowing words would never soothe that uncertainty, Maggie poured all the admiration and wonder she felt in her gaze, into a soft understanding smile, and slowly Alex’s shoulders relaxed, a shy answering smile curving her lips.

Her fingers reached out to touch, the firm muscles of Alex’s stomach tightening as Maggie traced a thin scar that cut across her ribs, continuing up to cup her breasts. Alex caught her lower lip between her teeth, her breath deep but controlled as Maggie explored, her thumbs brushing over Alex’s nipples gently, then with more pressure. Maggie’s breath hitched at the sight of Alex arching into her hands, her head thrown back.

Maggie slid her hands around Alex’s sides to her back, splaying her fingers across Alex’s shoulder blades for balance as she dipped her head to feather kisses down Alex’s neck, along her collarbone, over her breasts. With every touch of her lips, Alex’s breath caught in her throat and the muscles in her stomach twitched, and Maggie felt like she could spend all night kissing every inch of Alex’s body.

But Alex had other ideas. With an impatient tug, she pulled at Maggie’s sweatshirt until Maggie raised her head and arms and let Alex yank it off. Then Alex curled her hand around Maggie’s neck and dragged her in for a heated kiss, and it was Maggie’s turn to gasp, breathless, as Alex slid her hand between their bodies to toy with Maggie’s nipple, rolling it between her fingers with just enough pressure to make Maggie moan and squirm.

It was as if the dam broke, because suddenly Alex’s hands were all over her, rough and calloused, sliding up the inside of her thighs, thumbs skirting just below her panties and digging into her hips. Maggie wrapped her arms around Alex’s neck and held on, moaning a little into the kiss when Alex’s hands brushed the underside of her breasts and trailed to her back, never stopping long enough to satisfy. Finally, Alex gripped her ass, eased her back, and settled between her hips, the pressure of her thigh perfectly placed to drive Maggie crazy.

Alex paused, bracing on her arm to brush Maggie’s hair back, searching her face. “Is this okay?” she asked. “I just…” Her brows knitted, the little crease returning as she struggled to articulate her desires.

“Of course.” Maggie played with her hair where it fell forward, sweeping it back behind Alex’s ear. “Whatever you want.”

Raining soft kisses along her cheek and jaw, Alex caught Maggie’s earlobe in her teeth before teasing her tongue into her ear, warm and wet. When Maggie’s back arched, Alex slid her hand into the small of her back to hold her there, beginning a slow descent down her neck to her breasts. Sucking a nipple into her mouth, Alex flicked her tongue experimentally, quick, soft swirls giving way to the light scrape of teeth, and Maggie fisted her fingers in Alex’s hair to keep her mouth there. “Jesus,” she gasped, feeling Alex’s mouth curve into a smile.

It could have been minutes, it could have been hours, Maggie had no clue, but finally, Alex began to leisurely kiss her way down Maggie’s body. “I have been wanting to do this,” Alex murmured against Maggie’s stomach as her fingers traced up Maggie’s thighs, hooking in her panties and sliding them down her legs. Maggie sucked in a lungful of air as Alex stroked her hips and nipped at the taut skin, pretty sure that fresh-off-the-boat lesbians weren’t supposed to be so smooth.

The first kiss Alex pressed against the muscles of her inner thigh, followed by the scrape of her teeth, nearly propelled Maggie out of the bed, but Alex’s strong hands gripped her hips and held her. “Alex.” The other woman’s name came out as a strangled cry, somewhere between a plea and a curse. Alex didn’t relent, didn’t press her lips where Maggie wanted them, not yet. Instead, she toyed with Maggie, built her up even higher with teasing kisses and touches, made her wait. When Alex finally pressed a kiss to her clit, Maggie was beyond words, beyond the ability to beg for what she needed. Her body spoke instead, bucking as Alex’s tongue parted her lips.

Sliding her arms under Maggie’s legs, Alex caught Maggie’s hands in hers, holding tight as she built up the tempo, riding with Maggie’s hips as they moved. Alex slowed, pulled back and kissed her thigh, and Maggie whimpered in protest. Alex’s breath warmed Maggie’s wetness before her lips returned, enveloping her clit and sucking in. This time, she didn’t stop, the slow, steady rhythm building to a crescendo as Alex took Maggie over the edge, her orgasm flaring through her body like lightning.  

\---

Maggie curled into Alex’s side, her head tucked into Alex’s shoulder, blissfully content to just snuggle into her body, to feel her strong arm wrapped around her shoulder. Pressing a kiss against Alex’s collarbone, she shifted up just enough to see Alex’s face. Noticing her gaze, Alex asked, “What?”

“You seem pleased with yourself.”

“So long as you...I mean, so long as that was… okay.”

“Do you really need to ask?” At the question, Alex blushed, shrugging her shoulder. “Are you sure you didn’t check out any lesbian porn?” Maggie teased.

“Well, not on purpose,” Alex said with a short laugh.

“What does that mean?” Maggie’s fingers traced lazy circles on Alex’s stomach, feeling the muscles quiver.

“Well… Kara decided to take it upon herself to search out some videos and email them to me. The first one had an innocuous subject line, like check this out, so I clicked on the link thinking it was a cat video or something.” Alex’s face scrunched adorably. “I was mortified.”

“You’ve got mail!” Maggie quipped, and Alex groaned.

“It was so awful.”

“So you watched it?” Maggie had the widest smile on her face as a bright red blush spread across Alex’s cheeks and down her neck.

“A little,” she admitted with a self-conscious grin. “But it was so bad, I just couldn’t. I felt embarrassed for the actors having to say those corny lines.”

“That’s what turned you off, the dialogue?” Maggie laughed outright. “Did you even get to any of the sex?”

“No. And I knew better than to click on the next link Kara sent me.”

“She sent more than one? Do you think she watched them all herself before she sent them?”

Alex groaned again, a pained expression on her face. “Not something I really want to think about right now. Or ever.”

“So what did you do?” Maggie asked, envisioning big sister Alex sitting her alien sister down to talk about lesbian porn and email etiquette.

“I had Winn remote into Kara’s computer and turn on the parental controls to block her from adult content.”

Maggie howled with laughter. “You did not.”

“She was sending me a link to porn every hour or so. I had to do something.”

Maggie flopped back on the bed, laughing even harder. “You are sneaky, Danvers. I’ll have to remember that.”

Alex rolled over on top of her, fitting their bodies together and kissing Maggie deeply. They lay there for a while, snuggling and kissing, while Maggie stroked the muscles of Alex’s back and down her thighs. Alex shifted against her, her breathing becoming more labored as Maggie continued with slow, deliberate touches.

“Maggie,” Alex groaned, her patience wearing thin, and Maggie grinned at the smoldering look Alex was giving her. She resisted the urge to tease, even though a cheeky ‘can I help you, Danvers’ quip flashed into her mind.

Curling up, Maggie wrapped an arm around Alex’s neck and the other around her waist, crushing their bodies together as their mouths met in a breathless kiss. When their lips parted, she searched Alex’s eyes. “Are you ok? You mentioned… ah, being intimate…”

Alex shushed her with a soft kiss before raising her head. “I might have been, if I had…” Another blush heated her cheeks, “gone first… but… you… watching you, I mean… that was… that was...” Alex stammered for the words and Maggie smiled so wide her dimples showed.

“Yeah?” Maggie breathed.

Alex caught one of Maggie’s hands and guided it down her body to her center, where she was wet and quivering in anticipation. “Yeah.”

No longer waiting for permission, Maggie palmed her, the heel of her hand pressing in just the right place, if Alex’s sudden gasp was any indication. Her fingers curled, parting her wetness, and Alex’s dark eyes were wide, her breath catching in her throat.

A whimper escaped when Maggie withdrew, the sound intoxicating. She caught Alex’s mouth in a deep kiss, loving how Alex arched into her with desperate need, hands grabbing at Maggie’s shoulders as she tried to grind into her. Maggie kissed her way down Alex’s throat and sucked hard on her collarbone, marking her where it would almost show, an impish smile on her lips at the thought of Alex seeing it in the mirror.

Kissing and nibbling her way to Alex’s shoulder, her fingers glided down Alex’s arms, over scars and the wound on her forearm that was slowly healing. Maggie brought Alex’s arm to her lips and pressed a kiss over the jagged, red cut, suddenly in awe that this would become a scar, a mark that Alex would carry forever. The reminder of Alex running into danger, not even pausing after the barb had sliced through muscle and skin, before rushing into flames, grounded Maggie like nothing else could. Her movements stilled, and she sucked in a breath.

“It’s ok,” Alex assured her quietly. “It doesn’t hurt.”

“You could have died,” Maggie whispered.

“I didn’t. I’m right here.”

“So brave. So beautiful.” Maggie smothered the protest she knew Alex was going to make with a kiss, her tongue parting Alex’s lips and diving deep. “And mine,” she growled possessively when she let Alex up for air.

Gripping Alex’s hips, Maggie urged Alex up so she was straddling Maggie’s hips, and Maggie was breathless at the sight of Alex’s body in the thin moonlight from the window. She slid her hands up, over the twitching muscles in Alex’s stomach, along her ribs, to cup her breasts. Her thumbs rolled over Alex’s nipples, loving the way Alex’s body trembled and her thighs tightened in response. Her nails down Alex’s back elicited an even more provocative response, as Alex threw her head back, groaning, lip caught between her teeth.

Every line in Alex’s body, from her jaw to the planes of her stomach to the strained muscles in her legs, was tense, and every time Maggie touched her, it rippled through Alex like plucking a string pulled taut. Maggie could have played Alex’s body all night, learning every nuance, cataloging every variation of whimper that she could wrest from Alex’s throat, but Alex’s dark eyes were pleading and her body was trembling.

Maggie dug her thumbs into Alex’s hips, lifting, and Alex fell forward, catching herself on the headboard. Staring deep into Alex’s eyes, Maggie skimmed her hands down Alex’s thighs before parting her and diving in. Maggie stilled her movements, her fingers enveloped by Alex’s heat, as Alex gasped, her eyes slamming shut. She didn’t move her hand until Alex opened her eyes again, her teeth bared as she shifted and started to move her body, trying to drive Maggie’s fingers deeper.

Maggie’s lips curled into a smile as she slid her fingers out and then plunged them in, loving the way Alex’s breath caught and her whole body trembled. Alex opened her mouth in a wordless plea as Maggie increased the rhythm, driving Alex deeper into pleasure until she flicked her thumb across Alex’s clit, and Alex came hard, her orgasm ripping through her for a long moment before she collapsed onto Maggie.

Pulling the covers over them both, Maggie wrapped an arm around Alex’s waist, relishing her weight sinking into Maggie’s body. She stroked Alex’s hair back from her face where it was nestled against her shoulder, and smiling as Alex’s satisfied grin was interrupted by a huge yawn.

It didn’t take long for Alex’s breathing to slow and deepen, and Maggie joined her in sleep a few moments later.

\---

An irritating buzz interrupted was seemed like the best dream Maggie had ever had, but when she opened her eyes to find brown hair lit with red on her shoulder and a heavy arm across her stomach, she smiled.

“Alex?”

“Huh?” Alex blinked her eyes open and slowly focused, her arm tightening around Maggie’s waist as she pulled her closer, her chin already tilted up for a kiss. Maggie sighed contentedly against Alex’s lips, already loving the start to her day.

“Mmmm, as much as I would love to continue this discussion,” Maggie muttered with a smile, and as if on cue, Alex’s phone vibrated on the bedside table again, “someone is blowing up your phone.”

Alex narrowed her eyes and kissed her once more, soundly, before rolling over and reaching for her phone. “We will pick this up again,” she promised.

She sat up, the sheet pooling at her hips and her naked back warmed by sunlight, and Maggie rolled onto her side to trace Alex’s spine with her fingertips. “Hey, Kara.”

Kara’s voice carried through the bedroom. “Alex! Are you okay? I brought donuts over and you aren’t here and you aren’t at the DEO and you weren’t answering my texts and....”

“I’m fine. I’m just…” Maggie heard Alex swallow as she ran a finger along Alex’s hip, “running a little late.”

“Where are you?”

Alex half-turned to glance at Maggie, and Maggie nodded, feeling a little twitter in her stomach at the thought that Alex was ready to share their relationship. “I’m at Maggie’s.”

“Why are you… OH MY GOD! ALEX!” Alex pulled her phone away from her ear just as a loud squeal sounded from the other end. Even Maggie winced a little.

“Is she always this enthusiastic this early in the morning?” she grumped around the grin spreading across her face.

“You have to give me all the details,” Kara gushed as she launched into a million questions. “How did… I mean, when did… what happened...”

“Later. We’ll talk later,” Alex said firmly.

“I’ll tell Hank.”

“You’ll WHAT?”

“Tell him you are running late, dummy. Not whatever you’ve, you and Detective Sawyer, have… have been… um, up to” Maggie swore she could see the blush on Kara’s face over the phone. “You’ll have to tell him that yourself. You are just lucky Hank can’t read my mind because I’m Kryptonian.”

“I’ll see you later.”

“Tell Maggie hi for me!” Kara said before she gave another ear-piercing squeal and hung up..

Tossing her phone on the bedstand, Alex rolled over and on top of Maggie. “Now where were we?”

“Unfortunately, about to ruin this beautiful moment with a cold dose of reality.” Alex pouted, an honest-to-god pout, and Maggie laughed and kissed the tip of her nose. “Don’t even try it, Danvers. We both need to get up and get ready for work. Rogue aliens won’t catch themselves.”

Alex groaned and rolled over on her back, making no attempt to pull the covers over her as Maggie got up, pulling on an oversized flannel shirt. Meeting Maggie’s eyes, Alex cocked an eyebrow in challenge as Maggie leaned over, gave her one last lingering kiss, and said, “Now, if you are good, I’ll make you breakfast.” She jumped back with a smirk just as Alex tried to snag her shirt. “Gonna have to be faster than that, Danvers.”

And Alex was, as the pillow she threw smacked Maggie right in the face. Maggie tossed it back with a laugh and sauntered to the door, seeing Alex’s gaze travel the length of her legs. “I’ll make coffee.”

Maggie was almost out the door when a thought came to her. “Wait, Hank can read minds?”


End file.
